All That I Am
by NowAndForever1
Summary: Connor was dead, Klaus had backed off, but Elena felt as if she had lost herself along the way, as if her life had ended the first day she found out about vampires. Will a trip back to 1863, a time full of corsets, horse carriages and chivalry bring her back to life? And will a certain Salvatore help her along the way of finding herself again?
1. Take Me Away

**I got you guys a new story! I am currently reading a TVD-fic about Elena traveling back to 1864, and I was listening to Parachute - All That I am (hence the title). That combo inspired me to write one of my own. The 'modern day' part of this story occurs right after 4x05, where Elena kills Connor. I have to say the beginning of seasons 4 wasn't all that thrilling to me, but ''The Killer'' brought back all the reasons why I loved this show in the first place. It also helped a little when she told off Stefan in front of Damon *insert evil laugh here* **

**I know that there are tons of stories like these out there, but I loved the concept so much I wanted to make my own version. I really hope you like it, review and tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own this story or it's characters. All rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

**2012**

When Elena went to sleep that night, or at least in her case laid down and stared at the ceiling, she felt numb inside. When Klaus had 'died' she had at least felt a little lighter before going to bed, she could smile and drink tequila with her friends to celebrate their freedom without feeling guilty about doing so.

Instead of doing that, she watched her friends all joke around about the new agreement they had come across with Klaus, who had revealed that her blood as a vampire was't entirely useless. She tuned out when he started explaining the semantics of it, though, and let Damon and Stefan take the reins on that one. As long as she kept his blood supply up, he'd leave her and everyone she cared about alone. She knew that deal had plenty of loopholes and question marks, but her friends didn't dare to argue with her when she told them that she was done with the drama. It was either that, or they would have to fight for their lives for the rest of the time they still had left, which wouldn't be a lot if trying to continuously trying to provoke the original hybrid.

It had been peaceful ever since she had killed Connor. She put that incident so far back in her mind that she couldn't think about it anymore. She had broken up with Stefan, the sudden trust issues and hurt at what he did piling up on top of the already mounting problems they were having. He had confessed his worry about going back into the deep end with her, and that had been the last straw for her. They were really done this time. Strangely enough, that was the only thing that had sunk in with her, out of everything that had happened and changed the last couple of days.

Connor's death, the college applications on her desk, the homework in her backpack, finished and graded, even her timetable tucked in the corner of her mirror and the genuine smiles on everybody's faces that she had witnessed today did nothing for her. the normalcy of everything, for some reason that pained her more than anything.

And op top of that, Damon freaking Salvatore, seemed to be the only one out of every one of her friends who had noticed her distress, but hadn't called her on it. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised about that, either. He just _knew. _From the very first day, he always _knew_.

Sleep couldn't come to her, and so she did what she had been doing almost every time since Stefan left with Klaus. She stood up, dressed in the clothes she had worn that day. Before grabbing her diary however, she turned to the window, seeing a pitch black crow resting against her window sill. Instead of shooing it away like she would have normally done if it were just any bird, she opened the window and smiled.

''I'm fine, I promise. It just needs to sink in,'' were the first words she had spoken that night that weren't noncommittal sounds or movements of her head.

The crow didn't make a sound, but instead cocked his head to the side, staring at her in such a human way it sent shivers up her spine. Not shivers of fear, though, they were far past that point. Without sound she could just imagine him raising his brows, silently telling her was doubting every word coming out of her mouth.

Elena chuckled dryly before walking towards the window and she leaned forward, resting her forearms next to the crow. ''I'll be fine someday. That day is just not today, Damon. Everything is back to normal again with everybody else. Things just need to get back to normal in my head. But I will be fine,'' she told the crow, smiling genuinely now. That seemed to placate him, though, and the crow flew away. She sighed gratefully when she followed the bird, who flew past Jeremy's window, making her let out a small smile before she headed out of the door and she started walking to wherever her feet would lead her.

**When the lights go down in Brooklyn  
As she's walking out the door  
Oh and they're lining up like soldiers  
Going off to fight the war  
And all the colors look like fireworks  
In skies she knew before**

She wrapped her leather jacket tightly around her as she kept walking. Before she knew it, she found herself in the woods.

She sighed with frustration. Of course. How come she always ended up here? So many things happened here to contribute to the place where she was now, so many bad things. This was the place where the tomb was opened, the place where Caroline had found Vicki's body, the place where she had given Stefan his first taste of human blood in so many years. Above all it was the predator's home base, the place where all the party-goers, hikers and obvious victims went, like food especially served for them on a silver platter.

Oh irony, she thought wryly as the tears silently started falling from her eyes. How stupid was it that this was the safest she felt had in months, safer than in her own damn home? Maybe because she was one of them now? It still was a concept she wasn't used to. She still didn't see herself as Elena the Vampire. But, she didn't see herself as Elena the Human either. Honestly she had no idea what to see herself as, and that was what hurt the most.

A calm went over her as she kept walking through the woods, pretending like she wasn't hearing the sounds of a crow in the distance. Instead of being annoyed, she was grateful that he was watching over her while still maintaining a respectful distance. That of course was the main reason she felt so safe now, but she knew that was a general feeling whenever her blue-eyed protector was around, something so comforting and familiar she welcomed instead of distancing from it, as she has been doing to most people lately.

The wind in her hair, the serenity that accompanied the silence when Damon had left and the bird's cries had ceased made her close her eyes for a moment, relishing in the quietness of the moment.

She had needed this, she had realized then, and the tears started falling in quick succession, although no sound came from her throat. She turned her head to the sky, and let the tears flow freely. It felt liberating, the way all the pain flowed through the veins, to the tips of her fingers and toes, so it could disappear together with the wind, far away from her, far away from Mystic Falls.

**But the nights can't hide the days  
That the tears roll down her face  
And the light hits those eyes  
And she's dying to say  
Just take me away**

She kept walking, and the tears kept falling. She didn't feel any despair or crippling pain however, which seemed an ever present emotion in everything she did ever since she had turned against her will. No, this time there was only a gaping emptiness that was crying for everyone that she had lost, a hole in her chest that sucked all the energy right out of her, making her drop to her knees with her eyes closed, her cheeks wet, and a small smile on her face.

She laid down on the slightly dew grass and stared out at the starry night, one of the only benefits that Mystic Falls beheld. She had found herself in a small meadow and slowly closed her eyes again. She had needed this closure, she had to give the pain a place and learn to live with it. The last thing she saw when she let the darkness took over, was a pair of brown eyes looking down at her with almost…pity…in their eyes, it seemed. But Elena was too tired to notice that. She was too tired to think of it as strange as the stranger crouched down next to her, and she wasn't even alarmed when that person started touching her daylight ring and started whispering to him/herself.

**But the fog that sits like blankets  
And it's drowning out the glow  
You can hear voices loud and singing out  
A song nobody knows  
But to her it sounds like home**

All Elena felt was a numbness, a calmness take over her entire body that she relished in. She never wanted to leave this place, where her smothering emotions didn't dictate her every move in life, where her bloodlust wasn't an everyday concern and didn't stand in the way of everything she did. No, she was just Elena. She had forgotten how to be _just Elena, _and the last thing on her mind before it succumbed to the darkness was _I wish I could find a way to become me again, find freedom and a peace of mind that could let me live out my eternity as me; not as a shadow or empty copy of me._

**But the nights can't hide the days  
That the tears roll down her face  
And the light hits those eyes  
And she's dying to say  
Just take me away  
from all that I am**

**Just take me away, from all that I am**

* * *

**1863**

Elena had woken up with a start, feeling a little lightheaded. Confusion clouded her mind when she felt a mattress under her. It felt more like a couple of sheets stacked with feathers, but the confusion was too consuming to dwell on that for too long. Opening her eyes took great effort, and she was half expecting to wake up in a hospital bed, knowing from thorough experience that those were also far from comfortable. She was surprised when she wasn't attacked by a harsh light that hurt her eyes like she had expected it to. Instead she was surprised by the dim light of an oil lamp next to her head, whose effect was more calming than anything. Her brain was still too fuzzy to register the hustle and bustle around her in the poorly lit room. Pretty, she thought dumbly when she saw the pinks and purples along the horizon that surrounded the surprisingly clear sunset. The throbbing in her head was too distinct to make her concentrate on anything else, but after what she assumed were a couple of minutes she seemed to be regaining her bearings and could open her eyes to their full extent. She could make out the voices now and the clicking of heels on the wooden floors.

''Ah, she's awake. Welcome back to the world, Miss. My name is Madeline, but everybody calls me Mimi,'' a girly voice told her cheerily, a stab occurring in her chest when it made her think of Caroline. The pain along her body was still too distinct to let her speak, though. The girl whom had introduced herself as Mimi, was young, probably around the same age as Elena, although Elena knew she looked older than she was. Mimi however, with her big green colored Bambi eyes, flaxen hair and petit body, looked truly the way a teenager was supposed to look. Her smile was sincere, but that wasn't why Elena had decided she was worthy of a response. Elena smiled at her, not because she seemed real, but because of the innocence in her eyes. She didn't know of the horrors that were living among them, walking around this earth this very second. Her life wasn't anywhere near as destroyed and hadn't ripped into pieces like it had with Elena. No, this girl was completely untouched by the horrors of reality, and Elena knew she would contribute in whichever way she could to keep it that way for however long that was possible.

''Hi,'' she croaked, to which Mimi immediately stood up to fetch her a glass of water. She supported Elena's neck so she could take a few sips before leaning back against the surprisingly feathery pillow. She sighed when she felt the liquid coat her throat, and she cleared her throat before smiling back at Mimi, holding back a frown when she saw Mimi walk around in a simple peasant dress that could have easily belonged in the time of the Salvatore's…she quickly put them in the back of her head before she started panicking and sobbing and thinking and she was enjoying the numbness, even though it was accompanied some by pain, which she endured wordlessly. She had been through worse.

''Where am I?'' she brought out.

''At the Salvatore Mansion in Mystic Falls, Miss. One of the stable boys had found you unconscious in the woods and had brought you back to the plantation. Master Salvatore has been informed of your arrival and offered you to stay for as long as you wished for. I am to be your handmaid. Would it be presumptuous of me to ask of your name, Miss?'' she asked with a polite curtsey.

Elena's eyes were wide as saucers, all the new information that had been thrown at her all swirling around in her head at a dizzying pace. Master Salvatore? Mansion, not Boarding House? Handmaid? And that dress, Jesus, what the hell was happening to her?

''Elena,'' she said softly, ''Elena Pierce.'' Did she seriously just say that? Oh, god, the panic was slowly settling in, but almost as soon as it had appeared, it disappeared as Alaric's voice sounded in her mind. _Remember what I taught you, Elena, always stay calm. It doesn't matter in what situation you are or what problem you need to face, always keep your chin up and pretend like you have everything under control._

So that's what she did when Mimi explained to her she had taken the liberty to take off those 'horrid and strange' clothes of hers and put her in a long night gown they still had lying around somewhere. She didn't panic when she felt the corset straining against her ribs, and she tried not to cry when Mimi explained that Giuseppe Salvatore was willing to have her stay in their household until she deemed herself ready to go. Her tone was quiet and tired as she fed Mimi lie after lie, feeling immense remorse when she told her that her parents had died in house fire, and how her brother had gone missing a week after. She hadn't had a home on months ever since tragedy struck the Pierce family, and after hearing this, Giuseppe was more than happy to make her stay. She even was able to keep her bloodlust at bay, which was a feat in itself.

When everything was said and done, when she was lying down in her night gown, when she'd had a bath – after waiting for countless minutes as Mimi came in with buckets and buckets of lukewarm water – and she had made some small talk with her new handmaid, she found herself tossing and turning in her sleep in worry. Just when she thought things were dying down she reached the absolute climax of all the dramatic twists and turns in her life. She resigned herself to get some sleep and deal with the aftermath of this in the morning, her dreams filled with possible scenario's and things she could find out when she thought:

_I'm in 1863. Before Katherine showed up._

Suddenly, the prospect of this new revelation left her with a giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Besides the dread of not knowing what the hell had happened to her and the fear of not knowing how to get herself out of this mess, she couldn't help but feel that she wanted the daybreak to come as soon as possible. There were only a few words that echoed in her head when sleep took over, and the panic made place for a strange mix of nervousness and elation.

_You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me._

* * *

__**Well, there you have the first chapter! I hope you guys liked it, and next chapter Elena will be introduced to this new life. Spoilers: she'll meet the Salvatore's, and a surprising ally that will be willing to help her (I always here the words''surprising ally'' in summaries in stuff, grabbed the first chance I got to use it myself for once, lol.**

**Anyway, I am quite nervous about this, and please review to tell me what you think and if you think I should continue. Ideas are always more than welcome :D**

**xoxo,**

**Layla**


	2. My Humanity's Keeper

**Hey guys! Seems I'm on a roll, considering how I just had posted the first chapter of this story yesterday lol**

**A guest reviewer had mentioned how it is early 2011 in TVD, and I hadn't realized that until I read that review. Anyway, I might as well keep it as I had it now to make it easier for you, and, well, me xD**

**Disc: the same.**

**Thank you to anyone who took the time to review the first chapter, I'm glad you liked it. Here's chap 2 of ATIAM, Enjoy!**

* * *

When Elena woke up, the first seconds of consciousness were spent thinking about how her day would be going, why one brother hadn't called her yet, and why the other wasn't lying on her bed. She wondered what Jeremy was doing, and what the next crisis was they were supposed to fight today.

That's when it all came crashing down on her.

She sat upright in her bed at vampire speed, something she still wasn't used to, the way she was so fast, it was like her muscles caught up faster than her brain, to which she was upright before she could even realize she'd made a move. All at once, she remembered Jeremy wasn't two doors to her right, Stefan hadn't called her in an attempt to talk to her because there were no cellphones in this time, and Damon wasn't here either. She felt a ton of bricks come down on her shoulders when she also realized there was no crisis today, there was no battle to prepare for. Just this cruel twist of faith she had to get through. Her stomach twisted in knots when she remembered where she was, a sob almost escaping her when she realized that wasn't even what bothered her the most. The worst thing was that she was in this _all alone_.

''Ah, Miss Pierce, you're awake!'' a voice Elena faintly recognized came barreling into her room, which she now realized, was actually quite pretty. It was simple, with hard wooden floors and a medium sized four-poster bed, and she found she was staring at a wooden canopy instead of a ceiling. There was a big mahogany vanity table with a massive mirror and an ancient looking chair and a decorative trunk at the foot of her bed, soft pink wallpaper covered the otherwise dreary walls of the room, giving the room a feminine glow with its flowery pattern.

Looking at the door, she recognized the girl that was in her room the night before, and a polite smile appeared on her face. It was hard to force emotions with such a bubbly and nice girl in the room.

Elena took the time to really study her handmaid. Her blond hair was now in a single braid resting on her shoulder, and she was wearing a simple brown white dress with the corset visible over the bodice. Her green eyes were wide with a childlike innocence to them and Elena wondered for a moment if she truly was just sixteen years old, like she had told her the night before. But then Elena realized that they were kept so innocent during this time, that it shouldn't be strange for a girl her age to come off as if she was thirteen years old.

''Hi, Mimi, good morning. You can call me Elena,'' she said politely, trying to remind herself to change her speech, which was more difficult than she had thought would be the night before.

Elena had to keep in her annoyance as Mimi helped through her newly acquired morning routine as if it was a step by step program. She was used to her independence, let alone doing things her mother had taught her as a child by herself, like dressing herself an doing her hair. But watching as Mimi explained to her that Master Salvatore still had a dress lying around but she would have to go shopping someday soon, feeling as if all the oxygen in her body was being knocked out with every tightening of the strings along the back of her corset and how she was braiding her now wavy hair and piled it on top of her head, a few tendrils framing her face and her cheeks were pinched till they had a red glow on them, she had to admit to herself that she was grateful for Mimi, the young and oh so inexperienced girl that certainly knew what she was doing.

''Do you feel well enough to be present for breakfast, Miss Elena? Master Salvatore would like to meet you and introduce you to his sons.''

And that was when more butterflies starting flying around, mass choas to her insides that made her doubt she could keep any food down, especially with a corset on that made her body look like it belonged in a cartoon. She was going to meet the Stefan and Damon of this time. As humans, untainted by death, blood and destruction, but still young men who strived for a good future.

''I would love that, Mimi, thank you.''

A dark cloud went over Elena as she thought about what these boys were about to go through in the time span of a year when her twin would show up. So many people would lose their lives, they would lose their hope. Elena had to suck in a breath when she saw Stefan first, her first love with his hair swept to the side and wearing suspenders, his seventeen-year-old-boyish grin was directed at his gorgeous brother, his blue eyes beheld the save mystery, the mischievous glint in them that always made it seem as if he was up to something. His otherwise short bed-hair was neatly atop his head in a set of sort curls that made him look so much younger than his older and jaded self, back in her own time. His smirk however, was still ever the same, just as its effect on Elena, she though with a sigh as she tried to cover the goosebumps on her skin as she descended the stairs in front of Mimi. Staring at the old man at the head of the table she couldn't help but silently scowl. She remembered the stories the brothers had told her as if she had lived through them herself, and she couldn't help but feel a deep resentment for him killing his own children and being as cruel and emotionless as the stories had suggested.

''Ah, Miss Pierce, how are you fairing?'' Giuseppe stood up from the table, and his eternal scowl made place for a big and charming grin.

Elena forced a smile and put her hand in his, to which he kissed her knuckles. ''I am doing quite well, Mister Salvatore. Thank you so much for your hospitality, I really do not know what I would have done hadn't you offered me shelter,'' she said in the most sweet and innocent voice she could muster, almost wanting to scowl at herself for how much she was reminding herself of her evil twin.

''Nonsense, I could let you stay out there in the woods all by yourself, what kind of gentlemen would that make me?'' _not any worse than you already are_¸ she thought bitterly.

''These are my sons, Stefan and Damon,'' he gestured to the table, where the two handsome men had stood up and stared at her with wide eyes and parted lips.

Elena had to hold in a smile at the both of them. They also lacked in the smoothness department it seemed. She knew what the Salvatore brothers thought of her in the looks department, she had received smooth and practiced compliments from them that indicated that thanks to their years of experience, they had no problems whatsoever talking to a lady. These two however, still had a lot to learn. At least Stefan, she mused as the youngest first walked up to her.

The Salvatore brothers seemed both to possess the most beautiful pair of eyes anybody could ever have. The emerald pools that belonged to Stefan were often soulful and brooding, telling an entire story full of anguish, guilt and experience beyond anything she could ever imagine. These eyes however, held curiosity and he was obviously admiring her. the youngness made her think of Mimi, although Stefan's build was muscular and above average for his age, making him look equal in age to his brother.

''Miss Pierce,'' he said with a flirtatious smile, and kissed her hand, lingering a little longer than necessary. Elena's eyes almost widened at the blatant attempt to get her attention. Wow, seems she was really getting to know a whole other side of her boys.

''Please, call me Elena,'' she said with a small smile on her face as she did her best attempt at a curtsey.

It seemed to have worked, because he stepped back with the same grin residing on his face as he made place for his brother.

His brother. God, he has always been in a whole other league that separated him from the rest of the male population, but seeing him like this, the boyish grin, the lightness in his eyes indicating his was your ever typical college kid; still exploring the world and everything that it had to offer, but hadn't seen as much of it as the leather-clad version of himself had.

He ghosted his lips over her knuckles, but that was more than enough to send her insides into overdrive and send tingles all the way through her entire body at the contact.

Yep, nothing she hadn't felt before.

''Miss Pierce, it is an absolute pleasure to meet you,'' he drawled in that velvety voice of his.

Her smile got a little wider on her part, and she curtseyed again. ''The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Salvatore. And please, call me Elena.''

''Only if you call me Damon.''

The eye-contact had continued for a few seconds, before Giuseppe coughed to get their attention. Damon let go of her hand as if he had burned himself, and Elena's already red cheeks turned even redder. What the hell was she doing?

''Shall we begin breakfast? Maybe you can tell us a bit more of herself.''

If there was anything Elena had learned in the past year in a half, it was how to act. So that's how her Oscar-worthy performance had started. She smiled at the servants who brought in the food. Thanks to the corset she sat up straight, an eternal small smile on her face that made it look as if there were millions of secrets residing behind those soulful brown eyes.

She tried to ignore the flirtatious stares the boys sent her and tried to answer Giuseppe's constant questioning. It seemed both the boys were interested in her, but lacked the subtlety, and above all, hostility, of the versions she knew inside and out.

''My mother always spoke of Mystic Falls and what an amazing place it must be. A sister of hers had once come here and when they both past, I wanted to come here. I never thought the journey would end the way it did.'' Insert sad tone in the voice. Play with food. Perfect.

The last couple of days she had found she had some kid of handle on the switch, like there were parts she could turn off and ones she could keep in. The bigger things, she refused to stop thinking about. All those lives, Jenna, John, Caroline, Isobel, she could go on and on about them, but she could not forget about them. They were a constant reminder of why she had to keep going, of why she could never stop fighting and why breathing was so important. She smaller things however, like the death of her parents and the way she longed for her old life, were all put on the backburner of her mind. She was glad that had made it easier for her to talk about her 'dead parents'.

''I am so sorry for your loss, Miss Elena,'' Damon said.

Elena smiled at him, realizing he sounded sincerely sorry for what she was missing in her life. She almost forgot she was a vampire, which shocked her, but it also made her ever so aware of the pulsing vain in his neck, throbbing so deliciously. It seemed to be calling to her, a siren's song that to this day, had almost always been impossible to ignore.

She quickly smiled at Damon, nodded and shoved a forkful of eggs in her mouth. The taste on her heightened taste buds had seemed to distract her, but her gums were still aching.

She looked at Damon, still seeing him as her mentor, her friend, the only one who could help her get through this because he was the only one who could understand. And he was human right now, more human than she ever was or ever could be again.

God, how she wanted to throw something against the window and watch is shatter right now. Shatter to little pieces, just like the hope in her chest was doing with every passing minute in a time period she didn't belong in.

''It's okay, it's almost been a year,'' she said softly to him, giving him a grateful smile, which made him grin victoriously.

Their breakfast went by in silence for a while at least. In the corner of her eyes he could see that sometimes during the few minutes of silence Giuseppe was continuously opening and closing his mouth, contemplating if it would be a good idea to say what he wanted to say. Only Elena could detect the small sigh that indicated he decided to say something.

''Damon, what are you planning on doing with your time now that you dropped out of college?''

Elena sighed when she saw Damon stiffen. He stared at Elena for a second. Both of them knew his father tried to discredit him in front of the lady, which made her disgust for him only grow.

''I do not know father, perhaps stay in Mystic Falls for a while before I decided what to do next.''

''Have you thought about my proposal?''

''I am not going to war, father,'' he said through gritted teeth.

''Why not? It is a great cause, Damon, you should defend the south instead of wasting away your days at the tavern!''

''Why not? I am three-and-twenty years old, you should not dictate me and the choice of how to live my life,'' he growled, now standing up from the table.

''You live under my roof, son, so I might as well do so! Either that, or you find a suitable wife and take some responsibility on your shoulders and not be such a disappointment all the time!'' he yelled back, also standing up. Although an inch or two smaller than Damon, Giuseppe Salvatore was still extremely intimidating.

Elena watched the fire dance in Damon's eyes as he fought with everything he had not to throw his father across the table and bash his head in, it seemed.

Damon groaned, shook his head, and stalked off.

Silence was among everybody in the dining area, even the servants that waited in the corner of the room. Giuseppe sighed the sigh of a tired old man that had lived out all his years had to offer, and looked at Elena.

''I apologize dearly, Miss Pierce. It seems my oldest son has lost all of his manners. I hope he has not offended you?'' he asked while returning to his breakfast.

Stefan had been silent through the entire encounter, his brooding forehead solely concentrated on the remaining food on his plate. It surprised Elena, how he hadn't interfered. She understood he wanted to stay polite because she had a guest and the ever so gossiping servants were around, but did that mean he wouldn't stand up for his own brother while he was treaded so unfairly?

Elena shook her head, fighting the smile to stay on her face and not turn into a grimace. ''Not at all, Mr. Salvatore,'' she said in that same sugary sweet voice she had adopted especially for the old man.

She looked at Stefan again, and for a moment they locked eyes. For the smallest moments, Elena saw the boy she had fallen in love with so deeply, the boy that had become her entire world in the timespan of a few months. But she also saw the ripper, which was unfair and she knew that, but she could never associate those eyes with the boy she had met outside the boys bathroom or the cemetery. To her battered mind and damaged heart, he would always be the guy that almost killed her on Wickery bridge, the guy that had left her because the guilt was too consuming to deal with. She had forgiven him for those actions, but had never redeemed himself in a way she could be proud of. He never fought for what he wanted and that was what made her lose all the remaining respect she had for him. Now, sitting across from her, it was heart to distinguish those two dominant, but utterly different personalities.

Of course, Giuseppe had to take it the wrong way. ''Stefan, son, why do you not take Elena for a walk in the town? She could meet some of the town's folk and buy some dresses.''

Stefan smiled at Elena and nodded his head. ''If Miss Elena would like to do so.''

Elena forced another smile. ''I would love to, but Mister Salvatore, I could hardly ask of you to spend so much money on me, that would be highly unfair of me.''

''Nonsense, my dear. You are to be treated as a guest, and for someone whom has been through such hardships at such a young age should be treated well. My son is the perfect candidate to help you do so. Tell me, love, how old are you?''

''Eight-and-ten, sir,'' she said, refraining from saying eighteen.

Giuseppe's brows shot up, and Elena had to stop herself from dry heaving as she saw the wheels turning in his head as he looked from her to Stefan. It was like he was already planning their wedding at that exact moment and all it made her to do was take out her fangs and make sure pieces of his body were scattered across the town. Would make a nice scavenger hunt for the council, she imagined darkily.

Again, she tried to keep her over-active emotions at bay, but that was quite the hard thing to do with such a scumbag in the same room as her, but she refrained from doing anything, and instead just took a sip of water. She had to remind herself that this guy, even though old, was still very much aware of vampires, and the last thing she wanted to do was create more unnecessary drama. As long as she kept away from vervain, made sure she was invited inside everywhere and kept up the trust Giuseppe was putting in her, she was going to be fine.

Yeah, she was definitely screwed.

* * *

**2012**

''What do you mean she disappeared?'' Damon bellowed. He was in full-on panic mode. He had followed Elena into the woods even though he knew she knew he was around. He had to admit he had felt a little warm inside when she had immediately recognized the crow as him, and when the tears started falling he had decided to leave her alone. Now he decided that was the most stupid thing he had ever done. Vampire or not, never leave Elena alone in the woods at night.

Bonnie sighed in frustration and shrugged violently. ''I don't know! I called her this morning, and she didn't pick up, she I called Caroline, who also hadn't heard from her. Tyler was going for a run this morning a found her phone in the woods,'' she rambled on.

Damon plopped down on the couch and ran his hands through his hair.

''Where could she have gone?'' Stefan asked to no one in particular.

''To Disney Land! What kind of question is that!'' Damon brought out. His brother could be so stupid sometimes!

Stefan rolled his eyes and stood up, pouring both of them a glass of scotch, which Damon snatched out of his grip wordlessly. Stefan knew he was grateful, but they also both knew no words of gratitude were going to come from his lips. Especially not now.

''Maybe we should focus on trying to find her, first, hmm?'' Bonnie asked he brothers before things would go out of hand.

Damon rolled his eyes. ''Pray tell, Sabrina, have the almighty spirits on the other side spoken?'' he asked lightheartedly, relishing in the little twitch in the corner of her eye before taking another swig of his scotch as he watched the witch ignore him and going through the fourth grimoire she had found.

''I guess our only option right now is a locater spell. I don't know what else to do. We have no clue where she could have gone, and…'' Damon didn't wait before he dashed out of the Boarding House. He chose the vampire route instead of the whole 'we drive cars to stay one with our humanity' routine. This was Elena, and the faster she was back the better.

Back in her room, his eyes widened when he stared at the pictures tucked in the corner of her mirror. He always admired everybody who had gotten a place there, because everybody that did, meant something to Elena. Something crucial.

There was a picture of her, Bonnie and Caroline in cheerleader uniforms, and her, Tyler, Matt and Caroline surrounding the pool table at the grill. There was a picture of her as a child, one of her and Jeremy as children and one with her parents. In the far corner was a picture of her making a funny face with him behind Jenna and Alaric, who were posing in front of the camera, and the last picture was of her and Stefan and Caroline sitting in a booth at a Grill. He knew every picture in this room, so he wondered where the framed picture had gone of her and Stefan in the beginning of their relationship when he had decided to join the football team. He looked down at her vanity, and sucked in a breath when he realized that picture had made place for a picture someone had taken of Damon and Elena during the founders dance. He hadn't realized up until that moment how good they looked together, staring into each other's eyes as if they had been in a relationship since forever.

A stab in his heart caused him to harshly grab the picture of her in a cheerleading uniform, her hairbrush and a cardigan before jumping out of her bedroom window, leaving no trail behind of every having been there.

**1863**

She was surprised, to say the least, to see the Mystic Falls of 1863. In terms of change there hadn't been much, considering the century and a half time span. There was more greenery, everything was so old fashioned and not a single electronic store in sight.

Elena had the time of her life watching everybody walk around in their 1860s attire. The amount of petticoats she had seen today was dizzying.

Elena herself had also caused quite the stir. People were talking about the new girl that was staying with the Salvatore's. Nobody knew her story, and to say they found the mystery surrounding her interesting would be a massive understatement.

Stefan and Elena entered one of the many stores they had passed along the town square. Hard wood and mirrors aligned the walls, where dozens of mannequins displayed gorgeous dresses with the richest fabrics and in the most beautiful colors.

''Mimi's grandmother Alice owns the store,'' Stefan said to Elena.

Elena turned around to the blonde who smiled shyly and nodded, confirming his words.

''Stefan, my boy, have you finally found a lady to court?'' a voice bellowed from the back of the store.

Elena watched as a woman somewhere in her fifties came out from the back of the store with a big grin on her face, coming up to Mimi she embraced her before going to Stefan and smiling at him knowingly as he kissed her knuckles.

He chuckled and shook his head. ''This is our new house guest, Miss Elena Pierce,'' he introduced her proudly. It was clear he wanted to court Elena. _No, thank you, sir, _she thought dryly. One destructive relationship at a time.

''Why Miss Elena, is my Mimi your handmaid?'' she asked with a polite smile.

Another thing she had learned in the time she came to know about vampires, was how to read people. And Elena knew that the second Alice had laid eyes on the brunette there was something in her eyes that made the older woman weary. She was smart enough to recognize a distrustful gaze when she spotted one, and something about Elena didn't sit well with Martha.

A light bulb went on above Elena's head when she realized the elder women would probably know more than she let on, and could be able to help her.

Elena smiled at her. ''Yes, she is, she has been amazing,'' she said sincerely, earning another smile from Alice and a shy, but grateful smile from Mimi.

''Well, let me take some measurements for you, hmm?''

Elena had smiled at her and nodded, not realizing she would be exhausted at the end of this. They had walked out of the store with several dresses in all colors and forms, different beauty- and bathing necessities and three extra night gowns. She couldn't bring herself to feel guilty about spending so much Salvatore money, though. _Serves him right¸_ she thought bitterly.

''Thank you for bringing me into town, I enjoyed myself immensely.'' She inwardly cringed when she saw his eyes light up at her words, and once again he bowed and kissed her knuckles.

''It was my pleasure, Miss Elena. I have utmost enjoyed your company as well. I shall see you at supper?''

Elena nodded, and retired into her room with Mimi.

Mimi giggled, but restrained herself when Elena looked at her strangely.

''Everything okay, Mimi?'' Elena asked with amusement as she started to untie Elena's corset strings.

''Yes…Yes, of course, Miss…I…I…'' she stuttered, terrified.

Elena smiled and turned around, taking Mimi's hands. She may be a vicious vampire now with no regard for those people like the date-rape guy at the Murder House party she had gone to with Damon, or Giuseppe, but that didn't mean that Mimi deserved the same treatment.

''It's okay, you know. You can tell me anything, Mimi.''

Mimi nodded, but still didn't say anything.

''I promise I will not let anything get back to Master Salvatore,'' she goaded slowly, trying to get the shy girl to talk.

Mimi nodded again. ''I was just laughing because the young Master Salvatore seems to be so smitten with you already. He just..''

Elena laughed good-naturedly, making Mimi look up at her strangely. ''It's okay, Mimi, I have noticed the same issue. I find it quite amusing, really.''

Mimi raised her eyebrows and returned to the corset strings as Elena held onto the mirror. Even as a vampire the straining pain, although brief, was still ever present.

''Why is that?'' she asked, more comfortable with speaking her mind now she knew she wasn't going to be scolded for it.

''He does not know me. Where I come from, you get to know a girl before you declare yourself in love. The young Mr. Salvatore is simply infatuated, Mimi.''

''You seem…''

''…experienced?''

Mimi nodded, and Elena smiled at that. She was by no means virtuous, and would be sure she would give the little girl a heart attack if she told her what she had been up to with said young Mr. Salvatore. It was still a bit shocking to her that she had done all the things she did. Having a boyfriend with decades of experiences in the sexual departments really had its perks, she mused with a smirk.

''it's simple, really. You only have to look into someone's eyes to know what they are thinking. It's In someone's eyes, someone's smile, the way someone moves.''

Mimi stared at her with wide eyes, wondering how an eighteen year old girl whom wasn't married knew so much about such a thing. Surely Miss Elena Pierce was quite beautiful, nobody could deny that. She also looked as if she were two and twenty rather than eight and ten, but Mimi didn't dare to open her mouth and say something on the matter. Miss Elena seemed lenient towards her, but Mimi still didn't know where her limits lay.

She helped Elena change into a midnight blue gown with half-long sleeves and a bow around her waist and curled her hair, pulling a few strands back and let the rest fall along her back.

''I shall leave you to dinner, Miss,'' Mimi said, curtseyed a little and left. Elena wanted to ask her why she wouldn't be dining with them, but then realized that It was probably common for servants to eat and sleep somewhere else in the house.

Panic wanted to set in when she realized she had no idea at what time she should be going down the stairs for dinner before someone knocked on her door three times.

She opened the door, albeit reluctantly, and had to suck in another breath through her nose – thank you, awful piece of clothing that calls itself corset – when she saw her blue-eyes proctor standing there with a small smirk on his face and his hands behind his back, staring intently at her.

''Miss Elena, I was sent to inform you we are about to have supper,'' he announced politely, but not before letting his eyes rome all over her frame, letting his eyes rest on her chest for a second before settling back on her face and taking her arm in his.

''Would you like for me to give you a tour of the grounds tomorrow after breakfast?'' he asked after a short silence, staring down at her lips for a second before staring at her eyes. Hmm, it seemed he was a little more daring than his little brother, who couldn't even look her in the eyes longer than a moment or two.

Elena looked at him, relishing in the innocence she found in his eyes. He had tons of more experience than Stefan as a human, she knew that, but not anywhere near to what the other Damon had. She liked him, so untainted by pain. Thinking about it, the answer to his question was obvious to her, she had made up her mind before she had even opened her mouth to answer him. She wanted to get to know the brothers more, who they were before vampirism had destroyed their hearts.

''I would love to.''

* * *

**How was that, huh?**

**I know barely to no Delena interaction here, I just wanted to give a clear view of Elena's state of mind and give her a good introduction to the town of Mystic Falls in 1863. I could give you some Delena right away, but I don't want to rush into things. That wouldn't be enjoyable to read and certainly not enjoyable to write, so be patient, next chap they will be bonding a little. BTW, I realized I lied about the whole 'ally' thing. Well, I didn't, but I wanted to cut the chapter short because it seemed the right moment. Forgive me?**

**Review, Follow, Favorite! xxxxxx**

**Layla**

**p.s. thank you to the guest that had pointed out my mistake. All the 'Miss Gilbert's' have been changed into 'Pierce'. If you hadn't noticed I had adressed Elena wrong somewhere in the middle of the chapter, at least I fixed it now. It should be good now :) sorry if I missed any, just read over it or don't hesitate to tell me! I type so fast I ignore most of the typos I make**


	3. I Remember Me

**Another chap of ATIAM! I don't know if I should consider this a filler or not, but it is pretty long so decide for yourself :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**I remember me, staring at myself**

**See these same two eyes, see these same two feet**

**I remember you, you're who I used to be**

**You still look the same, but you don't hurt like me**

**Look at my reflection, somewhere my affection**

**Disappeared, isn't here, nothing left to say**

**Memories they fading but I'm the one who makes them**

**So I keep the love close to enough to say**

**What if this life is all that we are given**

**We just can't stop living, scared of what we'll see**

**'Cause in this world, anything can hurt you**

**Push you then forget you, stole my history**

* * *

A lot of people who know Elena, and especially the ones that have been around her the last couple of years, know that Elena wasn't one for showing emotion when people were around. So that's why she waited until she had excused herself from dinner, ignoring the burning pairs of green and blue eyes staring after her and she almost skipped several steps before remembering that she couldn't do that with the humongous skirt that she was carrying around with her, that she collapsed on the bed and the desperate tears started falling. She had stood up after two minutes of pitying herself and violently took of her dress and untied her corset, with great difficulty considering the uncomfortable way her arms were twisted behind her back to get to the strings took more strength than usual, considering she was still a little drowsy from whatever way she had made that trip down memory lane. Literally.

That thought was enough to make a sob escape from her. She let the dress drop to her feet and stepped out of it. She took off the annoying crinoline and left it on the ground for Mimi to pick up later, her mind too messed up to be considerate towards the girl. She could finally take off the corset fully, and with the major breath of air she could take, also came a strangled gasp and she collapsed on the ground, still in her unflattering drawers and chemise. The sobs came out with a vengeance, and she had to muffle the sound with both hands while the tears overflew. It wasn't until she was all by herself and the sun had fully disappeared from her view that she had realized in what kind of situation she was in.

The desperation she felt for being thrust into a situation she had absolutely no control over, the loneliness that was conjured up by watching the Salvatore brothers be so different and so unknowing from what she was used to from them, caused the desperation only to worsen and a deep, nerve-wracking feeling unfolded in her stomach at the thought of having no idea of how she had gotten here or how to get out and she let herself fall to the harsh ground, not even wincing at the pain she should have felt, had she still been human.

Damn vampire emotions! In no time the hurt and desperation turned into anger. Anger at the person who had put her in the position when she was finally in a time in her life where there was the option to find peace with herself and her newfound vampirism. But no, this had to happen to her! she also felt angry with herself. She was lying on the floor, staring at the cracks in the ceiling instead of trying to find a way out of here. She was a fighter, giving up wasn't supposed to be in her dictionary.

But she had no idea where to start…

_I know where to start, _a sinister voice began in her head. She found this voice appearing so many times lately it had started to overthrow her voice of reason. She knew it was the vampire part of her, the one that Elena had fought against from the moment she had drank human blood for the first time to complete her transition. _You could start by feeding. You need to get your strengths up. And we both know I'm right. No blood bags in this time, and an animal will never do the trick. Even your digestive system has proven several times that I'm right. _She knew it was her vampire instinct talking, the one that thrived on the kill, on the hunt and on the eventual blissful conquer. She wanted so badly to believe she was right, but this new voice was slowly taking over her very being, and that was when she knew she was spiraling out of control. She knew the second she would give into the voice of the vampire residing deep inside her she would flip the switch. But the guilt inside of her, the one that still was strong enough to overpower her now supposedly natural instincts, prevented her from doing so.

So, even as a new vampire, she had to force herself to find a balance. In her undergarments she went outside, not caring for the cutting cold because she barely felt it with her new body temperature. That's the reason for why she was now lying in the middle of the road, and why she was trying not to be messy when someone had come to help her.

Men truly were gentlemen in this time, she mused with mild curiosity and amusement when she watched how he had rushed over to her, climbing off his horse, and immediately averted his eyes when he noticed her state of undress. For her, it wasn't very bad, considering how her stomach and thighs were still covered, but it was clear that her morals and sense of normality did not apply in this time period…

She sighed in satisfaction when the blood entered her tongue, but sobbed as the regret filled her when she stared at the lifeless body of her second consecutive kill.

Bitterness took over however when she had burned the body down to a crisp and threw it in a nearby lake, watching as its dead weight made sure it sank down to the very bottom. She had stared at the remaining drops of blood as they rushed away with the slight stream and sighed to herself, this sigh different from the euphoria and ecstasy she had felt not more than five minutes before.

For a brief second she wondered whether he had a family he was driving towards? Maybe to a daughter's birthday, a mother's deathbed or simply going for a nightly drive in the woods before he would return to his family, which made the sadness emerge, once again.

_Everyone is someone's uncle, or father, or camp counselor, or bible study teacher, Elena. _it was funny how even his most snarky and sarcastic comments had become life lessons for her. It wasn't until she had seen the horse run away fearfully when she started feeding she had realized he was right.

Of course, the guilt and pain for taking a life hadn't disappeared, and she certainly had a long way to go before she could ever accept vampirism to be her new nature. It was just, for some reason, she had to tell herself whatever people he had left behind, they would move on with their lives. She had, too, after all. It seemed a twisted thought, and not enough of an excuse to account for what she had done, but it helped to diminish the guilt she felt, even if it was just for a little bit.

She sighed and closed her eyes, the moment she started to relive the kill, the way he had felt in her arms as his strength was gradually diminishing and entering through her mouth still ever present on her mind. She loved the feelings the dark liquid evoked in her as the tangy taste entered through the lips that were latching onto his neck and exploded on her tongue, an absolute euphoric feeling lighting up her entire being.

She may be feeling miserable for the situation she was thrust in, but the blood had certainly helped to clear her mind. It even made her wonder what Damon would say or do in this situation.

_Enjoy it and take advantage of every single second._

She chuckled at the thought of Damon. The only guy that could make you laugh in the most dire, depressing and helpless of situations. The one that had stood by her every second of her new life, guiding her through and teaching her _other _ways. Yes, he would definitely tell her something like that. Add a wink, a waggle of his brows and that sinful smirk, and she was on her way back to the mansion with a small smile on her face, wondering what tomorrow would bring for her.

* * *

The next morning came, and she woke up with mixed feelings. When she rang for Mimi however, she tried to remain polite and talk to her handmaid without snapping at her.

Elena couldn't help but smile as she watched Mimi get to work on her in the mirror. She watched as she was put in a peach colored gown with short sleeves, the skirt adorned with flower trims in the same color, the bodice accentuated with white lace detailing along her bust and the ties on the back of her gown. When Mimi sat her down, still chatting amicably about her family living on the country side of Mystic Falls, and Elena had to hold in an amused grin at the thought of anything 'country side' in her little town.

''My little brother is twelve years old, but he has the tendency to bite any hard surface he comes across,'' she says with a giggle while she started braiding Elena's hair to put them in a bun.

Elena laughed with her, remembering when Jeremy was a little boy. ''My little brother Jeremy, once had taken all of his clothes off and ran around the backyard yelling around like some monkey, stating he wanted to be an animal. My poor mother was devastated, but my father could not for the life of him stop laughing,'' Elena reminisced with a small smile, glad to be telling the truth for once.

Mimi smiled at her, still busy with her hair. ''It seemed as if you had a pleasant childhood, Miss Elena.'' Elena and Mimi got along much better now and the younger girl seemed less scared to speak her mind after Elena had told her she respected that in a woman. She could not however, even after nagging the blonde about it several times, make her drop the 'Miss Elena'. She conceded she just had to get used to it and respect the Victorian Era and its rules.

Elena nodded, surprising herself for not becoming sad on the spot while thinking about her old life. Instead it brought a small smile to her face. She had grown up the American Dream-way, she supposed. They even had the golden retriever to match at some point.

''So you really have six brothers?'' Elena asked after a short silence. Mimi had stopped talking after the blonde had remembered the circumstances under which her new Lady had come to the Salvatore Mansion, but was glad when Elena hadn't seemed too upset over it, bar the reminiscent and nostalgic smile.

Mimi nodded, telling her about her brothers and the trouble they got themselves in on a daily basis. Elena even got her to promise her to introduce her to her family someday.

After Mimi was done, once again making Elena look like she walked straight out of a Jane Eyre novel, Elena had to smile to herself. She had thought she looked like Katherine during the first Founder's Day when she and Stefan were part of the parade, but that really was a bad and fabricated version of how she was supposed to look in this time. The dresses were heavier and more detailed, the shoes more uncomfortable and she was wearing next to no make-up. Except for the annoying pinching of the cheeks. Of course it had to take twice as long considering she didn't have a blood flow, and the blood underneath her cheeks wasn't hers.

''Should I walk you downstairs, Miss Elena?''

Elena shook her head, not exactly glad to get back to the uncomfortable atmosphere that came with sitting at that table at any time of the day. At least in her time the brothers were subtle with their infatuation with her when they were all in the same room. Here in this time, they didn't bother to take that in consideration, considering they were way too busy trying to get her attention. ''No, thank you, Mimi, I shall find my own way back,'' she forced out, struggling with not shrugging and saying ''I'm good, thanks'', before she walked out of her room, holding onto the railing so she wouldn't trip over her own feet in nervousness as she descended the stairs.

As she had expected both the brothers were at the dining room table eating a variety of foods that were set out for them by the servants coming in and out of the room serving several drinks, from hot chocolate to even soda.

And again, as expected, both brothers had stood up when they noticed their beautiful guest descending the stairs, and once again the elder brother was faster at her chair next to him and held it out for her to sit on.

''Good morning, Miss Elena,'' he said with a polite but flirty smile. Elena surprised herself by giving him a genuine smile back. His enthusiasm was just too sweet not to be affected by it, it seemed. His honest pools of blue were tugging at her heartstrings and she forced herself to sit down and face Stefan, shocking herself when she waited for that same giddy feeling to come to her that she hadn't felt in months. She hadn't associated the feeling with Stefan anymore, but that still didn't mean it didn't sting when once again, she didn't feel anything staring into his emerald eyes.

''Good morning, gentlemen,'' she said with a small smile before receiving a big grin from Stefan.

''Where is Mr. Salvatore?'' she asked, just now noticing that he was nowhere in sight.

''Out of town for business. He sends his regards and deepest apologies,'' Stefan answered her.

Elena nodded in understanding, not knowing if not having the older man around was a blessing or a curse. That same question applied to being alone with the young Salvatore brothers.

''Miss Elena, I wanted to ask something of you,'' Stefan stated shyly, picking at his bacon.

Elena's eyebrows rose, and she cocked her head to make him ask his question. Bashful Stefan was nothing short of adorable, but the twenty-first century girl in her would have appreciated some confidence in him. He really acted like he had no experience in talking to girls or anything close to that. She could have understood that, were it anyone else, but _her _Stefan? Flirting with her had never been a problem, and things like this falling even more out of balance for her upset her extremely. She didn't know why, but suspected it had something to do with the way she hadn't handled the change with her own personality very well, let alone his. Someone like Stefan changing, the safe choice, the constant choice, seeing him like this was…unsettling.

''Come on, brother, tell her,'' Damon remarked dryly, and Elena detected a hint of…jealously. Well, that wasn't unexpected. She had to smile at how utterly _Damon _he sounded to her, and she sighed with relief. At least Damon was still very much _Damon._

''I was wondering if you wanted to walk with me today? Across the grounds, maybe we could go into town?'' he said, and Elena's stomach dropped.

Although, as she looked at Damon and saw the hurt in his eyes, she had made up her mind. Even though her mind was jumbled, her soul was messed up and her heart was burnt down, she was not planning on hurting Damon even in this time period. Besides, looking at both of them, she couldn't help but feel guilty because the thought of spending time with Damon was definitely more exciting than spending time with Stefan. She wasn't sure she would have said no to her Stefan in her own time, but _this _Stefan, she felt as if she didn't know at all.

''I am deeply sorry Stefan, but I already promised your brother I would take a walk with him today.''

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Damon's eyes light up, and her throat constricted at the thought of him, even now as a human, being already used to rejection.

Stefan looked disappointed, too, and Elena tried to reassure him with a small smile, afraid to say something else.

* * *

After Mimi put on a hat for her, matching the color of her dress, and gave her a_ freaking_ umbrella and a pair of white lace gloves, she was ready to go.

She couldn't help but feel giddy as she descended the stairs again, Damon waiting for her by the door. Stefan had been long gone ever since Elena announced she would be getting ready for their walk, and for some reason she hadn't felt guilty. He was going to the tavern, after all. Plenty of women to go around, she thought with a scoff.

It was going to be a long time before she was going to stop seeing his ripper side as his most dominant personality. Him being human or not, she was still an irrational vampire right now with little to no handle on her emotions. She permitted herself to think unreasonably.

Or at least that's what she told herself when she put her thinly gloved hand in the crook of Damon's elbow.

At the beginning of the day, everything had been working on her nerves, and she barely had time to think about her situation. Her chemise had been too itchy, her corset too constricting, the hairpins had been almost jammed into her skull and the shoes were incredibly uncomfortable. Everything was cause for irritation.

Now however, she wondered how she still hadn't gotten whiplash from the bipolar/PMS/hormonal change of emotions every five minutes. Even now, the irritation was replaced with a small smile as she took in the smell of dozens of flowers attacking her senses. The Salvatore garden was absolutely beautiful, giving you the feeling as if you were in the middle of a botanical garden with beautiful greenery, flowers in every color known to man, stone cobbled pathways and ponds full of rainbow-colored fishes. That, in combination with the aura that Damon was giving off as he was trying to be subtle in his staring at her and the rush of the water and leaves in her ears, she had finally found some calm in her chaotic mind. Here, in this place, she had found that for once, she wasn't thinking about the next crisis or the next evil waiting for them, and she tried not to overthink the situation she was in.

She felt at peace.

''This is beautiful,'' Elena breathed.

Damon smiled at her, studying her for a moment. From the moment he had first seen her, he had been absolutely mesmerized by her beauty. The girl wasn't only incredibly enticing because of the very female curves along her body, her spotless olive skin and the mysterious smile that called to him and made him shiver every time he received it, but there was also a sense of maturity to her, which wasn't very strange considering what she had been through, but it was as if he sensed she was more experienced than she let on. And for some reason, that thought made her all the more desirable to him.

The way her eyes scanned her surroundings, the way she twirled around in wonder examining the garden, he couldn't help but compare her to a small child, exploring the world and seeing everything for the first time.

But then she smiled at him with that secret smile of hers. He had deduced she wasn't even aware of how seductive and mysterious it made her look. She'd cock her head to the side and bluntly ask ''What?'' with raised brows and her hands on her hips and he wondered to himself if she really were as innocent as she came off to be.

He shook his head with a smirk. This girl was so intriguing, every movement she made was contradicting. Her eyes were doe and innocent, while her smile was confident. Her steps were sure and calculating while her fiddling hands betrayed there was more to her than met the eye.

He was absolutely entranced from the moment he had met her, and he had no idea what to do with himself.

''Nothing, I was just watching the beauty around here,'' he said, staring at her, disappointed when she didn't blush. Although the way she slightly turned her head and smiled indicated she should have done so.

''Shall we continue our walk now, Mr. Salvatore?'' She asked with a broad smile, and Damon couldn't be by her side again fast enough.

They walked for a few moments until Elena had spotted a little hand carved wooden bench near one of the bigger ponds. They had to take a few steps over a small – probably there for decorative purposes – brigde to reach it, but Elena couldn't get there fast enough.

Damon watched as she sat down and watched the fish and flowers for a moment with a serene smile on her face.

''This was my mother's favorite place,'' he opened up slightly as he sat down next to her.

Elena smiled softly, looking around the beautiful piece of untouched nature. ''I can see why.''

A silence settled over them, and Damon marveled in the way this silence was so normal for both of them, how neither of them needed to speak and feel utterly comfortable in each other's presence regardless.

''What was your mother like?'' Elena asked him.

Damon smiled ruefully at the mention of his mother. ''Beautiful, kind, sweet, the picture of domesticity, always scaring the kitchen staff away so should could occupy herself in the kitchen all day. She was an amazing woman, the only one whom could put a smile on my father's face,'' he described with a faraway smile on his face, staring out into the distance.

Elena smiled. ''She sounds like an amazing woman.''

''She was.'' Damon gulped, ''and what about your family situation, Miss Elena? Are you sure you don't have husband waiting for your safe return?'' he tried to sound light and casual, failing miserably.

Elena chuckled bitterly, but shook her head. ''The day my parents died changed my life, and unfortunately not for the better. I could not permit myself to think of such a luxury such as marriage,'' she gritted out, choosing her words carefully, annoyed at how she had to change her form of speech so drastically. It made the situation all the more real, and with that, all the more terrifying.

''What was your past life like?'' he asked, trying not to reach over with his fingers and smooth over the frown across her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

Elena sighed at the memory. ''My parents were madly in love from the day they met. They even died holding hands. People often told me I was a replica of my mother, the same skin tone, the same hair, eyes, body type, even the same smile. She was kind and caring woman, she was always the one I went to for advice.

''My father was my best friend,'' she said with a wary grin. Flashes of her actual 'past' life went through her, memories flooding her brain, making her travel to another time, a happier, uncomplicated and blissfully clueless time, ''he was hilarious, took great pride in his profession as a doctor. The days he'd lost a patient were days the whole household could feel his misery. Sometimes, as a little girl, when something like that had happened at work, I'd go to his room and try to comfort him. That day he had told me the day I was born, he had lost a patient. He was so devastated about it, but not five minutes later a nurse came rushing over him telling him Miranda was in labor. After four and twenty agonizing hours I was born. My father told me he'd named me Elena because I was the light in their lives.'' Elena smiled at the memory, and Damon had to smile at her, too.

''That's very beautiful,'' he said softly, trying not to bring her out of her reminiscing.

''Two yours later my brother Jeremy was born. We'd always been close. I remember him coming to me, asking me about girls,'' Elena said with a giggle, remembering his first crush when he was eight years old. The poor boy was almost crying.

Damon grinned at that and nodded, enjoying their moment of older-sibling-solidarity. ''My brother Stefan has always been rather bashful around girls, as I am sure you have noticed,'' he said amusedly.

Elena nodded.

''You do not seem quite the bashful woman yourself, Miss Elena,'' he blurted out, almost wanted to hit himself when her face whipped in his direction in shock, before she tipped her head back and started laughing.

Damon looked embarrassed but amused at the same time. Setting his embarrassment aside, he could not help but enjoy the feminine timbre of her laugh, and he found himself chuckling back her at her.

''My parents have raised me in a fairly unconventional way. I've always been one to ignore society's rules, Mr. Salvatore. I do not see the shame in talking to a male where he to be my friend,'' she said while looking him straight in the eye.

Damon gently grasped her hand in his and kissed it tenderly. ''I would be honored to be considered your friend, Miss Pierce.''

''Then I must insist you call me Elena. the formality has been driving me crazy,'' she said with a dramatic sigh, making Damon chuckle once again. This girl was an absolute delight to be around.

''Alright,_ Elena,_'' he acquiesced, trying out how her name sounded on his tongue. Looking at her, how her gaze had dropped to his lips, he deduced he definitely _liked _how that sounded on his tongue, ''then I suppose you would not mind me taking you into town? I doubt Stefan had taken you anywhere further than the dress store.''

Elena's eyes lit up at the mention of seeing more of 19th century Mystic Falls. Amidst the confusion and helplessness she was indefinitely curious about her hometown and how it had started out.

* * *

Elena had to hold in a giggle as they entered the local tavern, basically a replica of the Mystic Grill, besides for the not so scantily clad waitresses – at least in her eyes they were decently clothed. She wasn't sure the men of this century shared this sentiment, if their hungry and sexually deprived gazes were anything to go by anytime one of these ladies bent over – and the alcohol supply wasn't as richly supplied as she was used to it being. There were more men than women, but that wasn't much of a surprise to her.

Despite of the stares she was getting from most of the men, she didn't feel very uncomfortable. She was used to men staring at her in establishments like this, but she knew deep down that wasn't it. It was more the thing that Damon was close to her that she felt she shouldn't have to worry. She had always felt safe around him, it was a feeling that automatically took over whenever he was around, even though she could probably defend herself better than he ever could in his human form.

''I assume it would not be proper of me to want a beer, would it?'' Elena, making Damon burst out in a fit of laughter.

''Would your delicate being be able to handle it, Miss Elena?'' he teased back, not forgetting she was only eight and ten years old. In his time, girls of that age were not known for their alcohol tolerance. Of course, then again he had no idea who Elena really was. And that she has been drinking ever since she had realized how exciting it was to do things she wasn't allowed to.

''You do not know me well enough to deduce such things about me, Mr. Salvatore. I am certain you would be on the floor sooner than I will finish my drink.''

Damon smirk, and ordered two beers. ''I would like to see that.''

Elena raised her brows. ''What are you implying, Damon?''

''Damon, my friend, whom, may I ask, is this beautiful lady in your presence?'' a voice boomed from behind her. He was quite handsome, in the smarmy asshole kind of way, Elena thought as she saw the way his ravenous gaze rested on all inappropriate and private places.

Damon stiffed, but smirked at the man anyway.

''George Lockwood, meet our guest Elena Pierce. She is going to stay with us for an indefinite amount of time. Miss Pierce, meet George, the mayor's son, and a friend of mine,'' Damon introduced. It was obvious to Elena that Damon didn't really like George, but for some reason still considered him a friend.

''Miss Pierce, it is an honor to meet you,'' he said, grasping her hand and kissing her knuckles, not letting her hand go before Damon coughed awkwardly and glared murderously at George, whom let the girl go without a fight after that, slightly chuckling.

Elena smiled at him, her smile also insincere and weary, although no one saw it but Damon. Of course her reasoning for not liking him were entirely different from whatever Damon thought of him.

''Charmed, I'm sure,'' she answered, ignoring Damon, who bit his lip, trying to hold in his smirk.

Two other men came in after George, and seemingly, Damon _did _like these two. They were also friends of his, and these didn't rub her the wrong way like George, so they got the 'sweet-Elena' greeting from her. Elena noticed Damon was worried that she would feel uncomfortable in the presence of so many men, but that was quite the opposite actually. Beside Caroline and Bonnie, Elena had always felt more comfortable around guys. They were always so much easier to handle and so much less dramatic, it was always a breath of fresh air when she would hang out with Matt.

Shortly after the men left and had their pants charmed off by Elena, their beers had arrived.

Damon watched in awe as she drank the alcohol without as much as flinching at the taste. She had to admit the beer of that time wasn't as good as what she was used to, but it was still drinkable.

''You are one incredible woman,'' Damon voiced full of awe.

Elena smiled shyly and put down her drink. ''Your friends seem quite agreeable,'' she remarked as they settled for a booth.

Damon laughed loudly, and Elena found she loved the carefreeness of the sound. It wasn't laced with bitterness or sarcasm. It was an honest, unbridled laugh, purely produced out of amusement. ''They are pigs. The closest contact they could dream of getting with a woman is if they would pay for it..'' he realized what he just said and his cheeks turned bright red, making Elena smile, baring her teeth as she witnessed the normally so cool and composed Damon Salvatore stuttering and completely losing his bearings.

Elena laughed melodically. ''It's okay, Damon, I do not want you to feel uncomfortable with me. You can speak your mind around me, okay?''

Damon's shoulders sagged in relief, although the flustered expression was still ever present in his eyes and most definitely in his cheeks.

''I am terribly sorry for the boldness of my remark, Elena, I hope I haven't offended you,'' he offered, confused by her amused smile.

''Damon,'' she started, as if she were talking to a child. She had to try her hardest not to reach over for his hand, ''as I said before, my upbringing was fairly modern and unconventional. I do not want you to be anybody but yourself with me,'' she confessed honestly. She wanted to know Damon for who he really was in this time. She didn't want 19th century morals and propriety to stand in the way of her unquenchable curiosity.

She wanted to stand up and do a freaking happy dance at the shy and boyish smile that appeared on his face when she said her piece.

''You have seemed to have charmed even the most disgusting of men Elena, my friends love you.''

''You think quite highly of those you consider friends. Should I be worried?'' she teased him, to which the smirk reappeared on his face and he shook his head.

''Unfortunately I never had a friend as pretty such as yourself, Miss,'' he teased back, standing up and reaching out for his hand so he could escort her to the exit. Elena gestured for Mimi, happy that the young handmaid had wordlessly stalked off, giving them their privacy.

Once outside, the three had come across quite the commotion where the parking lot of the Grill was supposed to be. ''Whatever is going on?'' Elena asked Damon, who had walked to two ladies closer to the commotion, but not too close. Elena smiled at the unconscious way he slightly in front of her, his protective nature seeping through even though he didn't know her as well as he does in the future. It was comforting. He always seemed to be the calming breeze amidst all the chaos, even now.

Elena stared at him as he let go of her arm and strode over to the two men in the middle of a heated squabble. The men seemed somewhere in their early thirties, but once the twenty-four year old male walked up to them and started talking, they calmed down considerably. They stared at the people around them and rested their eyes on the new girl before returning to Damon. She had tuned out his voice and ignored her heightened hearing in favor of her heightened eyesight, taking in the way the flexing of his muscles or the puffing state of his chest were so much more prominent through her vampire eyes. He had always exuded a manliness that was beyond hot, but something about seeing him like this, trying to keep her supposed 'virtue' intact, made the needy female in her purr in delight.

Things stared heating up, and Elena promptly walked up to him when he started getting more female attention.

''Damon, can you take me back to the estate? There is no need to participate in this,'' she said, giving the two men a death glare that could have put them both on their knees.

Damon smiled gently, not sparing the two men another glance before he strode off back towards the Salvatore Estate with Elena, and Mimi on their heels, a look of awe on her face, for the first time in her life having seen Damon exercise such authority. It wasn't just impressive to Elena, but any female in Mystic Falls who knew about the handsome elder Salvatore brother.

''What happened, Damon?'' Elena asked after a few minutes after she noticed he was still fuming.

''The two were fighting about one of Mystic Falls' residents, Charlotte Sinclair. There is a rumor going about of people thinking she is practicing witchcraft,'' Damon scoffed.

Elena raised her brows. ''I thought they had stopped the witch hunts decennia ago,'' Elena gasped. For some unexplainable reason that name was familiar to her.

Damon nodded, interrupting her thoughts. ''It is. One of the men thought this case was severe enough for it to be a case to worry over. He has been pestering the other man about it and he got frustrated and initiated a fight. Half the town agrees with the one man, the other half agrees with the other.''

''What about you?''

''This is a small town, Miss Elena, I have known her since we were both children. She is a little unconventional, but certainly not a witch,'' he spoke with conviction.

Looking back at the two men, Elena was shocked to realize the man that thought the girl was a witch was staring right at her.

Was this cause for her to worry, too?

* * *

''Tell me, Mimi, what do you think of Ms. Sinclair?'' Elena asked as Mimi brushed her hair back to its original curly state after Damon had left her at her door with a kiss on the cheek she still felt tingling minutes after.

Mimi sighed, and wanted to say nothing, though she wavered when she couldn't shake Elena's gaze.

''Charlotte used to be courted by one of my brothers. It lasted for only a few months before Edward met someone else, but in the time I have known her, I knew her as a kind, though unconventional girl.''

What did this time consider 'unconventional'? Society was brutal and prejudiced, especially in this time, but she really had no idea about how far you had to go cross a line in this time. Not far though, she imagined. She had gotten enough stares as it was being nor married nor courted in the presence of a bachelor drinking beer. Thankfully her twenty first century confidence had resonated with her, and she hadn't wavered. She was graceful and painfully sweet to whom she was introduced to or who had the guts to walk up to them, and later her vampire hearing had picked up how much of 'beautiful', 'polite' and 'most agreeable' girl was living under the roof of Mystic Falls' upper class.

''Whatever does that mean?''

''She is by no means interested in society, it seems. She has never expressed interest in marrying or attending the town's social events. She lives a very solitary life which makes her underappreciated as a member of the town.''

Elena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. If that were the case in her time, they could have burned alive half the population. ''Why would one think she practices witchcraft?''

Mimi sighed as she still worked on Elena's soft hair. There was a reason Elena straightened it. For some reason she was born with extremely soft hair. Amazing to the touch, a nightmare to any hairdresser that wanted to work with elaborate curls. There was a seventy percent chance they would not stay in place for longer than half a night. Of course there hadn't been a formal attending where she survived the night without all the drama causing her not to even have to think about her appearance in the least. But of course, in this era appearance was part of who you were. Even more so than in her century, it seemed.

''Her solitary life causes for a lot of gossip, Miss Elena. Her hair is a fiery red, the color of fire, something that has never been seen in this town before. Her eyes are a strange violet color. beautiful really, but this is the South, I'm afraid. They do not resonate easily with strangers. She has been never been out-casted, but she has been looked down upon. A shame really, my grandmother always spoke highly of her.''

Elena perked up at that. ''They know each other?''

Mimi nodded. ''Oh, yes. My grandmother was one of the few women whom had the chance to visit her a few times. Those visits had always taken hours but she never dared to speak of what they did or conversed about. I learned to quench your curiosity over time.

Elena tried not to sag in her chair out of frustration. Normally she would have dismissed the rumors, but out of experience that this Charlotte-person was definitely someone worth speaking to.

As a human it was almost impossible, but as a vampire she had found it to be quite easy to completely stop thinking about one thing and completely concentrate on something else, so all she could think about now was a certain blue-eyed protector of hers, holding her so strongly and strolling across the town and proudly showing her off. He was even more beautiful as a human, it seemed.

She was surprised at the giddy feeling when she thought about him. She had always had strong feelings for him, feelings that had unprecedentedly magnified when she turned. But the feel like a sixteen year old girl with a crush was a whole other feeling.

Though, on a different level she could understand why she suddenly felt that way. She wasn't dealing with a snarky, sarcastic and sensual vampire with a panty-dropping smirk. No, she was spending willing time with a 19th century gentleman who seemed to have walked straight out of a romance novel into her life.

Now that _spoke _to her teenage self, the life that had halted when the drama took over. She was crushing on human Damon, and there was no way of denying it. Even through all the blurry thoughts and mixed up emotions, there was one thing clear for her as she walked towards the dining room to attend the last meal of the day without Giuseppe with a shy smile on her face.

_She was not going to be able to stay away from him now._

* * *

''Argh!'' Frustration. Agitation. Irritation. All synonyms the dictionary had to offer.

He. Was. Going. Crazy.

Every time Elena had gone missing they at least had somewhere to start, a damn clue or a useful spell. Now the damn location spell didn't even work!

''_Wait a second, this spell is saying she is where my old house used to be?'' Damon asked tiredly. He just wanted Elena back, for once not having to put much effort into doing so. But of course life never tired of the amusement it got off throwing curveball after curveball in his direction, and once again Damon was left feeling hopeless and desperate, just wanting Elena back, even if it was just in his proximity and she was not going to run into his arms the second she saw him. _

_Bonnie shrugged, she was obviously also very tired. They hadn't been able to sleep or rest ever since they found out Elena had gone missing._

_Bonnie sent a quick text to Caroline, and the blonde came barreling through the door not more than five minutes after that._

''_I checked, but she's nowhere in sight. Not even a trace of her sent telling me she has even been near that place. Not a single trace of her,'' Caroline told them dejectedly. _

''_What are we supposed to do now?'' Matt asked from the couch._

''_I'll go over to Jeremy, and tell him.''_

_No one could argue with the dark-skinned witch. They had learned what hiding stuff from Jeremy had done, and they all had agreed that he was better off in the know that in the dark, no matter what the consequences were. He was going to be affected anyway._

_Damon plopped down on the couch, now wishing Ric was here more than ever as he drank straight from the bottle._

''_Do you think you should be doing that?'' Caroline asked slightly._

_Damon glared at her, but that wasn't what made Caroline shut up. It was the desperate longing in his eyes, the one that made her doubt his bad intentions a little more every second of everyday. The way he would give his life for Elena without even thinking twice about it, the way his pain was so clear on his face because he had no idea of where she was, it made her feel his pain deep in her chest, and she didn't like it._

_She sat down next to Damon, ignoring Tyler's gaze._

''_We'll find her, you know. We always do,'' she tried softly._

_Damon sighed, not willing to through a snarky remark at the blonde girl he had begun to become rather fond of. She was his 'child' after all._

_As was Elena, he thought grimly. One reason that he wanted her back was that he loved her, obviously, but as her maker, he felt the despair in his veins. His own blood was in danger and that terrified him to no end._

''_I hope so, Caroline. I really hope so.''_

* * *

**The longest chap yet, and poorly edited, too, might I add. Ignore the probably tons of typos on here. I am extremely tired and just wanted to update. **

**I appriciate every single review, follow and/or favorite, and I would really appriciate it if you would leave a review telling me what you thought of it, it really will just take up a minute of your time :0**

**I am nervous about this considering its length, but, yeah..I'll stop rambling now or else it'll never end.**

**Songs on Repeat for this chapter: Jennifer Hudson - I Remember Me + Parachute - Kiss Me Slowly**

**Xo,**

**Layla**


	4. The Heart Of Life

**Okay for some reason I couldn't find this chapter anymore, safe to say it freaked me out :s so I decided to repost just in case:**

**Hi guys! Sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter, but it took a lot out of me and with my final exams getting closer and closer, I find myself extremely busy with little to no time to write as much as I would like, but I hope I'm making it up to you with an extra long chap! Hope you like it!**

* * *

**I hate to see you cry  
Lying there in that position  
There's things you need to hear  
So turn off your tears  
And listen**

**Pain throws your heart to the ground**  
**Love turns the whole thing around**  
**No it won't all go the way it should**  
**But I know the heart of life is good**

**You know, it's nothing new**  
**Bad news never had good timing**  
**Then, circle of your friends**  
**Will defend the silver lining**

**Pain throws your heart to the ground**  
**Love turns the whole thing around**  
**No it won't all go the way it should**  
**But I know the heart of life is good**

* * *

Living in the 1860s has been a strange experience for Elena. For the past couple of days, she had to get used to all kinds of things nobody in her time would even think of doing. Thankfully because of the Salvatore's upper class stature, she had realized, there were servants that did practically everything for her. Several times over the period of days she had been there, she had sat back and watched as servants walked in and out of her room with buckets of water for her tub so she could bathe – which was less often then she would have liked – she had to ring Mimi every day so the girl could help her dress, and unfortunately that dreadful corset was part of that, too. She wore no make-up at all times, but her hair was twisted and played with as if she was planning on going out every day.

She had gotten used to living at the Salvatore Manor over the past few days, and surprised herself by already earning the title as one of 'Mystic Falls' respectable ladies', and she had finally excepted the situation she was in. She had learned to go with the flow and her formal speech almost came to her easily now. Almost.

The – she still had to decide if it fell under best or worst – thing that surprised her most, though, was the way she had gotten so much closer to the elder Salvatore brother over the course of the week. They had gone for walks almost every day, and had talked about every and anything, ranging from – a slightly customized version – of her life before she ended up with them, to his life with his mother and the trouble he had gotten himself into over the years.

For the first time since she had turned, she had found herself waking up with a smile on her face, for once not regretting the day before it even began. It was refreshing and liberating, and she found herself wanting to feel that way every day, which is why she sought him out more times than should be, considering he was no more than a friend, especially in this time. Of course Elena knew better. Damon Salvatore and her had never been just 'friends'. They had lived the time they have known each other in a purgatory that had left them both always wanting more but fearing what that would mean. Being around this human Damon, the one with less cares in the world than a three month old baby, it made her believe in her life before all of this again. She could never return to who she once was, but maybe she could turn this new girl into someone better, someone her parents, Jenna and Ric could be proud of.

''Tell me, Miss Pierce, have you ever been to any kind of formal function before?'' he had asked her on one of their last strolls down her favorite place in the world – the Salvatore gardens.

Elena nodded her head with a soft smile, remembering the disastrous string of 'formal functions' she had attended over the last two years.

Damon smirked at her, and she could have sworn her weakly thumping heart skipped a beat. Human or not, the affect he had on her would never change, and that was the only thing about her so-called 'feelings' for the blue-eyed Salvatore that she had allowed herself to accept. ''Lavish enough to rival Mystic Falls' standards?''

Oh, honey, if you only knew… ''Is there ever?'' she spoke, reveling in how comfortable she felt in his presence, how much she loved to be around him. The comfort he gave her just being with her, the way he reminded her of a life she could have, only if she learned how to get over herself and move on.

Damon chuckled, and she giggled in response. His eyes shone at the sound, and in a rare display of boldness, he strode over to her and grabbed her hands, gently kissing her knuckles.

''Would you do me the honor of me having you on my arm for the Founder's Ball tomorrow night?'' he asked softly, making sure the panty-dropping smile was firmly in place. She doubted that he was unaware of what he was doing. Innocent Damon or overly-experienced-Damon, this guy has known from day one what he was born with.

Elena smiled mysteriously at him, batting her eyelashes, making him flush a deep crimson, but not daring to look away from her. Oh, how she loved what the twenty-first century confidence in her did to him. Making the great Damon Salvatore blush, who could not resist the temptation? ''I would love to, Mr. Salvatore.''

Damon's smirk turned into a shit-eating grin at her acceptance and he once again kissed her knuckles. ''I have to warn you, my lady, there is a special dance prior to the traditional waltz we are to be dancing.''

Elena's eyebrows rose playfully. She loved the time she had gotten to spend with him. It felt amazing to for once live in the here and now and forget about everything going on around her. Was it smart? Probably not. Did it feel good? Absolutely.

''And what is this traditional dance, if you do not mind me asking, Mr. Salvatore?''

''Well, Ms. Pierce, I am afraid, in order to prevent you from deep and harrowing embarrassment I think I should teach you. You see, the mayor's wife has taught many ladies previous to you that have suffered the concept of what she likes to call, 'the near touch','' he explained cheekily, and Elena had to hold in an unladylike Cheshire grin when he came closer, gesturing for her right palm to face his.

Just like old times, she sighed wistfully in her mind.

''How regrettable,'' she quipped with mock-seriousness, and Damon nodded at her with the same fake concentration on his face.

''Now your other palm. Yes, like that, and now both. Now, we shall circle each other,'' he instructed patiently, pleasantly surprised when he noticed how quickly she picked up the dance.

''You are a marvelous dancer, Mr. Pierce. It seems you are floating, instead of dancing.'' Well, that sure as hell made sure the little blood flow she had, all rushed to her cheeks. She smiled softly at him. ''Thank you,'' she mentioned quietly, already noticing the change in the air as they got closer.

''And now, we d—'' he abruptly stopped talking as soon as they touched. With their hands clasped, her other on his shoulder and his on her hip, the contact was sizzling. Elena had excepted that people from this time weren't very touchy. Would she bump into Stefan, he would immediately react the way a teenage boy should. Would she brush against Damon's thigh during dinner, he blushed, and would she ever, ever, accidentally touch the Salvatore that was greying, his eyes would almost pop out of his head, so she made use of her unusual gracefulness, a thankful perk of vampirism, to move around swiftly, her movements coordinated to stay away from any form of human contact.

But the lack of said contact was not the cause for the heat rising up all over her body. It was like the Miss Mystic Falls competition all over again, the way their eyes locked, and stayed locked, trying to uncover stories and secrets neither was willing to share yet. His told a story of life, of promise and of youth, hers told a story of mystery, tragedy and utter beauty. Her body was soft against him, even though they were a respectable distance apart, he knew she was soft, he knew she was welcoming, the way her dainty arms were holding onto him were making him feel as masculine as he ever could.

The strong arms around her, guiding her around the small patch of grass with an air of grace that left her breathless, were the only things keeping her knees from buckling. All her heightened abilities could have never warned her for the onslaught of feelings that would attack her very being the first time she touched human Damon. They were feelings she knew, feelings she got used to repressing, but the situation was different now. He was just so…inviting.

It made the bloodlust all the more prominent to her, the way his excited heart beat so much faster than usual whenever she was around, the way the vain in his neck throbbed so slowly, sensually and invitingly, practically reaching for her fangs…but she kept it in. All of the emotion and desire in the world could not beat the disappointed Damon she conjured up in her mind whenever her thoughts strayed to uncharted and dangerous territory. She knew Damon would not like her biting from him like that, out of pure animalistic hunger. He would never want that for her. So when her eyes shifted from his vain to his beautiful eyes, she stopped thinking about how tasty his blood would be. Instead she started pondering on the way this attraction, this _feeling _has grown so much stronger since she became a vampire. Of course for Stefan it had been the same thing, but along with the love, also came fear, fear of him, fear of the unknown, fear of what a future together with Stefan would mean…

For the first time, Elena realized Damon had become her constant. He has always been the safe choice, and not because he was the sweet and caring and soft brother. No, he was the safe choice because he was the one she could picture a future with, he was the one who's actions never made her doubt him. Maybe that was why she was leaning towards him so much lately, maybe that was why she hadn't seen Stefan all that much the past week. But really, what did that mean for her? Nothing had changed. And still everything had, especially with her, and nobody but Damon seemed to understand that. But was that love? Wasn't she mistaking love for gratitude, for once choosing the ease and the comfort that came with the familiar?

''You seem so deep in thought, Miss Elena,'' Damon mentioned softly, also dizzy with desire and buzzing with excitement over having this ravishing creature in his arms for the first time. He had wanted to feel her ever since he had laid eyes on her. Her beauty was everywhere, surrounding him in a plushy halo that sent him straight to cloud nine. What was happening to him?

Elena smiled distractedly, her head hurting with all the thoughts consuming her. ''I was thinking about what an excellent teacher you are.''

''It seems I am better at teaching you than you are at lying to me. Whatever is troubling you, I am here, okay?'' His voice was so soothing, his eyes so sincere, she almost wanted to cry. And for the first time since she was back, she wished for her girls. How she wanted some unbridled, pajama-clad and ice-cream tainted fun.

Elena smiled wistfully. ''Sometimes my heart gets ahead of my brain.''

Damon nodded in understanding, letting her go, breaking the magical moment between them, at the same time breaking Elena's thoughts. She needed to feed. Now.

''I apologize for my abrupt departure, but I must leave,'' she hurriedly mumbled. Maybe later she was going to regret disappearing in front of him at vampire speed. Later she was going to think about an excuse. Right now, she needed to reign in her temper, calm her nerves, push down the tidal waves of emotion and the crippling despair she carried on her shoulders every day. She needed blood, and she needed it fast.

* * *

Blood wasn't just appealing because it tasted so good, it was also accompanied by a feeling of power that came over you once you started feeding, there is this euphoric moment where you think everything is going to be fine. You're not a vampire, needing of blood to sustain you and keep you alive, you're not a ruthless killer who has the ability to make people forget. For once you're just a starved man or woman, granting yourself this one courtesy in your damned existence. The taste of it, the energy it gave you and the way it coated your throat like silk; this powerful feeling made it hard for a vampire to stop once they've started, especially a baby vampire like Elena, experiencing and learning everything for the first time.

So that's why it was hard for her to stop once she had sunk her fangs in the girl's neck, cheering for herself when she'd reached her jugular at the first contact she made with the girl's skin.

And that's why she hadn't anticipated someone catching her in the act, let alone give her witchy-juju-migraine.

Her head was bursting, and the pain was dizzying. The ache was distinct enough to make her step away from her victim and clutch the sides of her head with her hands, letting out a strangled moan of pain.

''You should be more discreet about your feedings, child. You never know whom might catch you. You are in the wrong town for something like that to happen to you.''

All of a sudden the pain had stopped, and Elena shot to her feet immediately, almost tripping over the crinoline under her dress. She tried to catch her breath, but she felt as good as new, as if nothing had just happened.

She looked up in surprise, recognizing that voice. ''Alice?'' she breathed.

The older woman nodded. ''Tell me, child, are you lost?'' she asked calmly.

Elena resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but couldn't stop the sight that escaped her lips. ''In more ways than one, I'm afraid.''

Alice stepped closer to her. ''The day the young Mr. Salvatore had brought you into my store, it was like a war of light and darkness was waging around you. May i?''

Elena put het her hands in Alice's older, freckled ones, knowing what the contact would do.

**_DE_**

''_Go Timberwolves!'' the girls in their cheer uniforms yelled out enthusiastically after the game. A rare occurrence on itself, they had won, and were about to head out to the Grill to celebrate._

''_Tyler Lockwood is totally checking you out, you know,'' a pretty blonde girl whispered conspiratorially in the attractive brunette's ear. The brunette giggled, catching the bulky football player's eye. He winked at her, making her giggle again._

''_Lockwood and Donovan are growing some pecks, guys! All this running after a ball in sweaty and muddy uniforms is paying off for their health and our feasting eyes,'' a mocha-skinned girl wolf-whistled playfully as she came up to the two other girls talking together. _

_The brunette laughed at her friends' antics as they walked towards her red Mini Cooper. _

''_By the way, Len, why were Lockwood and you making googly-eyes as each other?'' the mocha-skinned girl teased her friend with a mischievous grin. _

_Elena rolled her eyes. ''He is hot, and he is growing older. A girl's allowed to watch, isn't she?'' she asked with a salacious grin, making her girlfriends burst out laughing._

_**DE**_

''_What if we get caught?'' A blonde boy asked breathlessly as his mouth was fused to his girlfriend's. He had her backed up against the wall, sloppily kissing her like a true teenager, running his hands all over her body._

''_Then we make sure we give them a good show,'' the brunette joked, whilst kissing a trail down his jaw, to his neck, back up to his mouth._

_The blonde chuckled. ''So, what are your plans for this weekend?'' he asked in between heated kisses._

_Elena shrugged playfully. ''I was planning on going out to some clubs with the girls and seduce a guy or two, but you know, me having a boyfriend makes that a little difficult. You mind keeping me company at said club until he gets back, Matty? He doesn't have to know,'' she quipped with a wink, making him burst out laughing again._

_He nodded, an amused grin playing at his lips. ''With pleasure,'' he growled, before picking her up from the ground, ending her squeals with his lips crashing down onto hers._

_**DE**_

_Elena was roused from her restless sleep by a pair of soft lips against her cheek. These days, when everything went wrong at every corner she turned, she had come to be a light sleeper, so the softest movements, the lightest sounds, all woke up her easily. This time, though, she didn't have to worry about troubles attacking her again. Instead of that, her sweet vampire boyfriend was hovering above her, a soft smile on his lips. _

''_Hmm, hi,'' she moaned sleepily when she recognized him. ''What time is it?''_

''_It's almost dawn,'' he whispered to her, trying not to startle her as she was still a bit drowsy from sleep. ''Come with me,'' he continued, softly grasping her hand. Elena looked at him with confusion but followed anyway. Because that's what you do when you love someone so irrevocably, you follow them wherever they go. _

_She looked at him inquisitively, but there really was no question, she knew she was going to take his hand. _

_All the way to the carnival, Elena didn't dare ask questions. Worry clouded her thoughts, but knowing he was next to her, somehow gave her the comfort she was craving._

''_Stefan, what are we doing here? We could get caught,'' she mentioned._

''_Well, I compelled the guards to go on breaks, so I could kiss my girlfriend on top of the Ferris Wheel,'' he explained ever so casually, holding out his hand once again._

_She opened her mouth to object, but once the Ferris Wheel's lights went on, she made a sound that clearly spoke of how unsure she was about this. ''Stefan…''_

_He was quick to interrupt her, though. ''We have to take these moments, Elena. What Katherine did to Caroline could just be the beginning, and then there's things with Tyler's family that we don't even understand yet, and then there is always the D-word, but..'' Elena listened with baited breath, looking into his gorgeous forest green eyes, basking in the familiarity and safety in them. In that moment, in her human moments, she felt as if they belonged together. He almost felt human to her._

_When he reached to cup her cheek with his hand, she smiled at the comforting heat it radiated, thinking that it was nice to feel this way. He made her glad to be alive, there was no doubt about it. _

''…_I came back to this town, to start a life with you. We can't forget to live it,'' he spoke with conviction, keeping his voice down to accommodate the night they were surrounded by. Elena looked up at him sadly. She knew he was right, but it was just so hard…_

_Eventually she decided to placate him. She deserved some of this, too, so she smiled, enjoying the way her heart fluttered as he smiled back at her sweetly. She grabbed his hand and nodded at him. _

_She looked up at the Ferris Wheel for a moment. ''But Stefan, how are we going to get to the top?'' _

''_I guess you're just going to have to hold on tight,'' he said playfully, and Elena showed her teeth in an amused grin, already knowing what was coming._

_She took in the comfort he always brought with him as he enfolded her in his arms, and in a dizzying moment, where she could see nothing but the world flashing by, she was sitting on top of the Ferris Wheel, the cart swishing violently, and she laughed loudly at the adrenaline rush it gave her, looking down at the ground to see how high they were. The agility that came with vampirism always had been one of Stefan's favorites, and she could definitely understand why._

_She looked back at Stefan with the smile still on her face. He was smiling back , his expression a mix of awe and sadness as he marveled at her._

''_Hmm, what?'' she asked with the glee of the moment still present in her voice and smile._

''_It's just so nice to see you laugh,'' he explained with the same happy smile with his hand in her hair._

_And there, on the top of the Ferris Wheel, where her boyfriend kissed her, she had a moment of joy to forget about the teenage supernatural drama that was her life. For a moment she could revel in the attention her sweet and handsome boyfriend was giving her, but she never forgot about it. She couldn't even if she wanted to._

''_It's not going to get any easier, is it?'' she asked with a kind of wisdom in her voice that spoke of life experience beyond her years._

_Stefan looked everywhere but her for a moment before he set his gaze back on her, trying to think about a way to dodge her question. Whatever he thought of, there was only one thing he could think of, and he realized there was no use in lying to her. There never was. _

_He sighed tiredly, his eyes also speaking of experience far, far, far beyond his age. ''No,'' he said while calmly shaking his head, ''it's not.''_

_**DE**_

_The high school gym was buzzing with activity, and in the midst of all, two girls were walking around, talking about a subject anybody would have deemed as a joke. A cruel, sick joke._

''_So, Alaric is trying to pull himself together. Why is that a bad thing?'' the blonde asked her friend as they walked towards a prop table, the blonde holding a clip board like a trophy._

''_I just…I wish there was something I could do,'' the brunette mentioned dejectedly. _

''_Where do you want me to hang this thing?'' Elena asked with a frown that spoke of confusion and slight disgust as she held up an ugly fake chandelier._

_The blonde scoffed, unimpressed. ''Ugh! You know what, if Rebekah wanted to _hang _this monstrosity, she should have shown up to do it herself!''_

_The brunette chuckled at her friend and watched as she gave it to someone else to put away. ''Just…no,'' she said with a disgusted and unimpressed experssion, pouting her lips._

''_What are you doing?'' she asked in a slight panic as she watched two guys up on ladders hanging up cardboard stars that were connected to strings. ''You can't just hang them! They're supposed to _trickle_ down!'' she exclaimed with vehemence, firmly believing every word coming out of her mouth while the two boys and the brunette listened on in amusement._

''_Look at them all bromance-y,'' she eventually said in amusement._

''_Yeah, I asked Matt to help Jeremy readjust. He got him his old job back at the Grill,'' the brunette mentioned gratefully. _

''_Well that was nice of him,'' the blonde spoke softly, looking at her friend before staring back at her ex and her friend's little brother._

''_Mhm. Jeremy's got a lot on his mind, the whole thing with Alaric has gotten him really stressed out.''_

''_Are you sure it had nothing to do with witnessing you and Damon getting hot and heavy in a skeevy motel?'' the blonde asked casually with crossed arms._

_Elena smiled, looking away irritably. ''I didn't tell you that so you could torture me with it.''_

''_Ahh! What are friends for?'' she asked with an amused grin, making Elena chuckle softly._

_**DE**_

_Somewhere in Mystic Falls a song was playing. Not just any song, though. It would be a song forever ingrained in two sets of people's memories. These people were handsome and beautiful, decked out in evening attire, blue, white and black floating around a makeshift dance floor with their eyes locked, their lips parted, and their souls entwined. That was the sole moment both knew, both realized that what they had, wasn't a friendship, it was far more complicated than that. The way she fit against him, the way he held her so strongly, so protectively, it was the most powerful thing both of them had ever experienced. His blue eyes were stormy, his stance relaxed, his gaze never once wavering from her enthralled brown ones. That was the moment both knew that whatever they had before, whatever kind of truce they had established, was never going to be the same again for them._

_**DE**_

The memories wracking through her, the ones she was sharing with the elder woman, where barely keeping her on her feet. Going through them like she was watching a bad dream enfold from a distance was strange. She had the opportunity to study all her body's reactions, her facial expressions, seeing things she had never see herself do. She saw the way Stefan always smiled at her like she was his whole world, the answer to all his questions, and how it didn't take very long for his older brother to look at her that exact same way. The last memory was the one of her waking up as a vampire, out of breath and hurting.

Alice drew her hand back like she had been burned. ''My god!'' she breathed, looking like she was about to go in a panic attack.

Elena was silent. She didn't know what to say. Being confronted with her past like that, jumping from one brother to the other and handling the situation so stubbornly made her realize that maybe, just maybe, things could have gone a whole lot differently if she wasn't the way she was.

''Dear child, what has your life come to?'' she asked, still in shock.

Elena smiled sadly, the rush the memories gave her slowly fading, leaving her tired and empty. ''It has been that way for almost two years until I turned into a vampire by accident. Last week I was in the woods, and I fell asleep, waking up one hundred and fifty years in the past,'' she said calmly looking at the ground.

''I knew there was something different about you! You are a vampire,'' she deduced dumbly, still dumbstruck by what she had witnessed through the young girl's eyes.

''And you're a witch,'' Elena declared, looking the woman squarely in the eyes.

As Elena had expected, Alice was anything but afraid of her, staring her down just as strongly. ''What are you doing here?'' Alice asked softly.

Elena was glad she allowed the witch to touch her. At least the older woman was less wary now.

Elena shook her head tiredly and dejectedly. ''I just want to go home, Alice. I never wanted this to happen.''

Alice understood and nodded, taking her hand in both of hers before looking her in the eyes again. ''I want to help you,'' she declared softly.

Elena looked up at her in surprise, and Alice chuckled at her. ''I am not your average witch, Miss Pierce. I tolerate a lot more than I should. Besides, I am an old woman now, some excitement in my life is not unwelcomed.''

Elena chuckled dryly and nodded. ''I would really like that.''

''Tell me, Elena, are you feeding from my granddaughter?''

Elena jolted back. ''No!'' she yelled out in surprise.

Alice nodded, a smile on her face.

''In my time, I can drink blood without having to access humans directly. Since I cannot do that here I didn't have a choice. I never wanted to kill anyone and I never even touched Mimi.''

Alice nodded once again, staying eerily quiet.

''I must go now, and try to find something to help you return to your time.''

* * *

Elena had been quiet the next evening, going through the motions as Mimi helped her get dressed in a beautiful elaborate lilac gown, being more quiet and reserved than what Elena was used to from the young girl. Instead of overthinking it, though, like she usually would have done, she tried to focus on the excitement that was building up inside of her at the thought of going to the ball on Damon's arm.

She hadn't seen him since that fateful afternoon where she had the rude awakening with the witch, her first clue, her first opportunity to go back home.

As her hair was piled on top of her head, a red rose in her hair, she smiled softly. Okay, so, the odds of her going back home were less bleak now. Damon was taking her to the Founder's Ball, Stefan would be spending the entire night making googly-eyes at her like he has been doing for the entire time she spent here, and she was going to have to pretend and smile some more. One day in the life of Elena Gilbert. Or Pierce. Yeah...

''Miss Elena? Mr. Salvatore is at your door,'' Mimi commented quietly before quickly darting out of the room, making Elena raise an inquisitive eyebrow, wondering…

Well that certainly stopped when she remembered how she had left things with Damon.

''Crap,'' she whispered to herself before standing up, plastering a smile on her face and opening the door, her sight welcomed by a handsome Damon in a tailored, gloved hands and adoring eyes.

''Miss Elena,'' he said with the same flirty smile as he looked at her.

''Damon.'' To her surprise, her fake smile immediately turned genuine the moment she saw him.

''You look ravishing, Miss Elena. I am deeply saddened for not to have seen you since yesterday. I was out of town with Father for business. I do hope you forgive me for my unannounced disappearance,'' he spoke smoothly, kissing her gloved knuckles.

Elena smiled softly at him. God, was he cute. ''Of course, Mr. Salvatore. Only if you do forgive me for going out into town without your marvelous company.''

Damon grinned at her, taking her arm and leading her down the stairs. ''I suppose I could forgive you.''

''Whatever should I do to earn your forgiveness, Mr. Salvatore?'' Oh, god. She was flirting with him.

Damon's eyes widened for a moment at her boldness, and Elena almost wanted to kick herself. _This is not a period in time where people appreciate the ability of a woman to put her foot in her mouth so frequently! _She yelled at herself.

Before she could apologize, though, he winked. ''I shall try to think of a possible payment one day. Now let us go. I reckon my father and my brother shall travel by another carriage.''

''Whomever is your brother taking?'' Elena asked politely.

Of course Damon had to take it the wrong way, and jealously flared up in him. ''Charlotte.''

''Sinclair?'' Elena asked with wide eyes, to which Damon nodded.

''Your father accepts his choice of whom he decided to escort?''

Damon shrugged, and Elena left it at that.

* * *

Elena's eyes were wide with wonder as she took in the grand Lockwood ballroom, reds and gold everywhere around her. massive chandeliers were hanging from the intricately decorated ceilings, men were in their expensive suits and silk gloves, the women carrying around their heavy skirts in all kinds of striking colors. The way several couples were waltzing across the dance floor in circles to the music played by a string quartet made Elena feel as if she had walked straight into a Victorian romance novel.

Elena herself looked every bit the Victorian debutante in her cherry red formal tulle gown, black gloves and red rose in her hair, her olive complexion, brown eyes and brown hair highlighting her Bulgarian ancestry and exotic allure.

''You did not exaggerate when you described tonight as 'grand','' Elena murmured to herself as they stood on the other side of the arch separating the ballroom from the foyer where the guests were greeted, waiting for the other Salvatore's.

Damon laughed, tipping his head back in amusement. ''Mystic Falls' elite always takes words as such in the literal sense, I'm afraid.''

Elena giggled, but stopped in her tracks as soon as the carriage they were initially waiting for had arrived, the horses neighing softly to announce their selves.

First Stefan stepped out, decked out handsomely in a suit and a pair of silken gloves of his own. Elena frowned when she noticed the glazed over expression on his face.

Full of distrust and suspicion, her gaze drifted towards the opened carriage door, watching intensely as a green gloved hand softly placed itself upon Stefan's outstretched one, and a gorgeous read-head followed, also in an emerald green gown, her fiery red hair – definitely not natural, what was up with that? – piled on top of her head enticingly. She wore a seductive smirk as Stefan helped her out, a shy smile on his face, his eyes still unfocused, as if his mind was elsewhere.

It seemed Elena wasn't the only one suspicious of this coupling.

''Ms. Sinclair, such a surprise to see you with my brother this evening,'' Damon commented politely.

Charlotte turned her head to the older brother, almost forgetting her own date. The way Charlotte was checking him out, made her want to rip a throat out. Or two.

''Mr. Salvatore. It has truly been too long since I last saw you. Who is this?'' she asked in a sugary sweet voice tone.

''Elena Pierce,'' Elena said, introducing herself. Both women curtseyed as a means of greeting, cold smiled in place. It seemed that the distrust came off strongly on both sides, although no one but the girls had noticed.

''Pleasure, I'm sure.''

''Charmed,'' Elena returned, smiling sweetly at her.

''Well, now that all the pleasantries are out of the way, shall we make our way inside?'' Giuseppe suggested, completely oblivious to it all.

They all agreed and walked across the arch and stood in the middle of the grand ballroom, immediately she was whisked off by Damon and sometimes Giuseppe to meet person after person. It was strange for her to meet Sheriff Forbes, the Fell's, and all the other families she knew back home. Their ancestors were so incredibly different, and still it seemed main family traits had been passed down generations. The Fells' were still ever so arrogant, the Forbes' still very much the black sheep of the community. She even met Jonathan Gilbert, which was strange and disconcerting, considering all the journals of him she'd read, all the times his knowledge had helped the vampires instead of defeated them, like the way they were meant to do. He was as strange as the stories had suggested.

She saw Stefan coming her way, and before she could squirm away, he made a bee-line for her and stuck out his hand. Since when did she go out of her way to get away from him?

''Miss Pierce,'' Stefan said with a boyish smile. There was noo denying that he was still as hot as yesterday and the day before that, and the century after that, though…

''Mr. Salvatore. Wherever is your lady?'' She surprised every day more and more about how well she seems to fit in here. The formality in her speech, the ease with which she moved, it all came to her naturally. She supposed to was part of being a vampire, how one able to accumulate to a new place, a new situation she easily.

''She is being kept occupied by Mystic Falls' eligible bachelors, I assume,'' he said with an empty smile.

Elena smiled back, albeit tentatively. Something was up here, and she was dying to get to talk to this Charlotte person and find out what exactly it was.

''Pity,'' she mentioned as he came closer.

''Would like to dance with me, Miss Pierce?''

Elena made an effort not to quirk an eyebrow at the lack of enthusiasm in the question, something she wasn't used from him in the time she had gotten to know him. He was always eager when around her, a bright, enthusiastic boy with a massive crush. Insert wince at realization.

So Elena smiled at him sweetly, putting her hand in his without hesitation.

''I must say I am surprised by your taking of Miss Sinclair to such an event, Mr. Salvatore,'' Elena mentioned casually as they were dancing across the ball room and she tried to ignore Damon's eyes burning a hole in her dress.

Stefan smiled. ''Ms. Charlotte is of extraordinary beauty, Miss Pierce. I didn't have a choice.''

''Whatever do you mean by that?''

''From the moment I saw her, I felt compelled to ask her.''

_Compelled. _Are you kidding me, here?

Elena tried not to squirm out of his hold, but did jolt back when they reached the edge of the dance floor so she would not be causing a scene.

''Miss Pierce?'' he asked confused.

Elena swore under her breath. ''This didn't happen. You saw me across the ballroom but left it at that. Do you understand me?'' Oh god, she was compelling Stefan. What the hell?!

Stefan nodded mutely. ''I understand.''

She cursed again and groaned at what she had just done, but she couldn't continue to think about it as she rushed out of the room, towards the massive garden. She saw a flash of read as she kept speed-walking, fisting her skirt in both hands.

''Charlotte!'' she called out.

The girl turned around, her vampire visage covering her pale face.

_Of course. _Elena almost wanted to roll her eyes.

''Who are you?'' Charlotte bit out.

Elena sighed, and showed her vampire visage, too. ''My name is Elena, but I am not from here.''

''Yes, I gathered,'' Charlotte hissed.

This time Elena did roll her eyes at the red-head, and gestured for the girl to walk with her.

She hadn't looked back, but she could sense she was following her.

''Me coming here was an accident. I don't _want _to be here.''

This had Charlotte's attention, and she speeded towards the brunette, walking next to her.

''What do you mean by _accident?''_

''I suspect a witch sent me here. I am from the future,'' she rushed out at once, a weight coming off her shoulders as soon as the words escaped her.

Charlotte stopped in her tracks, and Elena stopped, too, looking her straight in the eyes. The threatening vampire had disappeared, and now a confused women took her place, replacing the menacing creature of the night.

''What did you think I was?''

Charlotte shrugged, her eyes still bewildered with shock. ''I do not know. Perhaps a witch? I do not get along well with those,'' she said with a chuckle, giving Elena not a choice but to chuckle along. The atmosphere between the ladies had lightened severely.

''The future?'' Charlotte asked after a while.

Elena nodded. ''One-hundred and fifty years, to be exact. I met a witch yesterday whom was willing to help me.''

Charlotte's eyebrows rose. ''I reckon you are speaking of the old wench that owns the clothing shop in town?''

Elena smirked in amusement, a questioning eyebrow going up on its own account.

Charlotte huffed. ''I told you, I do not fare well with witches. Especially the sage ones who think they have discovered the secrets of the universe, like Ms. Alice.''

Elena shrugged her shoulders softly and sighed. ''Whether that be true or not, she is my only hope of returning to my own time and my own town.''

''Well, whom are you supposed to be?''

''Elena Pierce, orphaned maiden whom was taken in by the ever so kind Salvatore men.''

''I suppose you are not as virtuous as said men are suspecting?''

Elena giggled. She couldn't help but feel comfortable around the, for this time, awfully outspoken red-head.

''A girl never divulges her innermost secrets, Ms. Sinclair,'' she replied, which had the red-head in stitches.

''What about you, Charlotte? It seems careless of a vampire to make the town suspect her of being a witch?''

Charlotte shrugged carelessly as they walked back to the party. ''It is entertaining. And the moment someone suspects anything near the truth, I am already gone.''

''This town is more than aware of us in this time, Charlotte. An entire council has devoted themselves to kill our kind,'' Elena stressed, worried for the fellow-vampire. Why, she had no idea. She supposed she hadn't changed completely. Huh.

The revelation left Elena speechless for a while, the possibility of not having changed all that much from whom she used to be leaving her empty for a moment before Charlotte started giggling beside her.

''I am fully aware of this fact. This, however, does not deter me from having my very merry way.''

Elena grinned, showing her amusement at the girl's antics. Before they would reenter the party, though, Elena remembered one small thing.

''I would appreciate it if you would not compel the youngest Mr. Salvatore.''

Charlotte cocked an amused eyebrow, to which Elena reared back immediately with her hands in the air. ''Not like that! I do not see any interest in hem whatsoever…'' wait, what?—''it is just…I know him in my town, and seeing him like this is…I..uhh…''

Charlotte waved it off carelessly. ''No worries, Elena. I suppose befriending someone from the future could add to my entertainment. I shall see you?''

Elena nodded, and Charlotte was gone, leaving no trace of her ever having been there.

''Miss Elena! where have you been all night? I have not danced with you at least once!''

Elena cringed at the realization, and turned around with a smile, staring into a beautiful pair of blue eyes.

''I am terribly sorry, Mr. Salvatore. I was acquainting myself with Ms. Charlotte.''

Damon quirked an eyebrow whilst dragging her towards the dance floor. ''How so?''

''I am of curious nature, Mr. Salvatore. And she seems most agreeable.''

''You approve of my brother's choices then?'' he asked bitterly.

Elena frowned at him, and the realization dawned on her. ''Are you jealous, Damon?'' she teased him, a toothy grin slowly forming itself on her lips.

Damon huffed and looked away. ''Of course not! I was just vexed by the sight of my brother dancing with the woman I was supposed to be escorting, that is all.''

''You could have walked towards me and inquired yourself.''

Damon smirked at her. ''I suppose I could have. I have you in my arms right now, don't I?''

''By default.''

Damon's eyes widened in mock-indignation. ''I see,'' he said slowly, his expression mock-thoughtful.

''I mean, there are so many choices for me here tonight, how could I ever be looking at you? There is something infinitely desirable about the way Mr. Dawson has had a trail of dried salvia across his chin all night, or the way George Lockwood seems to have his hands underneath his escort's skirt all night. Why would I ever look at you when I have such a vast collection of amazing, classy and charming men?''

Damon burst out laughing. He was in stitches in the middle of the dance, earning a few scowls and stink-eyes from other, but he ignored them and stared at Elena with an expression she couldn't quite name.

''You are truly one in a million, Ms. Elena.''

Elena smirked at him playfully. ''Now, Mr. Salvatore, I think the traditional Mystic Falls 'near touch' dance is about to start. I do not think we want to disappoint dear old Mrs. Lockwood, now would we? Especially with the way her eyes have been on you all night long?'' she asked in mock-seriousness.

Damon nodded with a small pout. ''Emphasis on the old. Moreover, I am more of a petit-girl with gorgeous brown eyes-type of men.''

Elena blushed prettily, looking up at him through her eyelashes, but could not reply to his soft smirk before the youngest men and women were separated and stood across from each other.

The traditional music started, and with that the dance did also. They circled once, they circled twice, another time before they were in each other's arms again. Once again Elena found herself speechless, staring at him as they danced through everybody else with a grace that half of the attendees did not have, their eyes on only each other.

Some other day Elena would worry about what Alice was doing right now to get her back into town, some other day she was going to ask herself if she could really trust Charlotte, and some other day she was going to wonder if whatever Damon and her were doing right now was smart. Right now all she could do was melt in his arms, stare into his eyes and revel in his hold and company.

* * *

**You reached the end of this chapter, folks! Hope you liked it, and sorry if there are any typos or grammar mistakes. I already looked it over but then Chrome decided to be a bitch and stopped working, deleting all my work. Safe to say I wasn't in the mood to look the chapter over thoroughly again, but I do hope there aren't too many mistakes.**

**Thank you so much for your continued support and the sweet reviews, keep them coming!**

**Song used: John Mayer - The Heart Of Life (seemed quite fitting)**

**XOXO, **

**Layla**


End file.
